Scientists finish world's first pear genome sequence

More than 60 researchers from a joint group from China and the United States have finished the world's first pear genome sequence, one of the seven agencies involved said Wednesday.

The research achievement laid the basis for developing higher yielding, good quality and low-cost pear breeds and provided the data for comparing the genes between other fruits in the rosaceae family and also studying their evolution, the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) said in a press release.

Zhang Shaoling, head of the research group and also a professor at Nanjing Agricultural University, said the genome sequencing will help to study the pear's resistance to pests and environmental stress as well as the regular pattern of pear trees' growth.

The sequencing program was launched in April 2010.

China is the world's largest producer of pears, accounting for over 60 percent of the world's total output. Pears are also the country's third most widely grown fruit after apples and oranges.