Pear is the third most widely grown fruit species in China, a region accounts for over 60% of the world’s pear cultivation area and production. Pear scab ( Venturia nashicola and Venturia pirina ) is one of the most serious diseases of pear. Here, we report a new interspecies hybrid (03‐04‐034) between Pyrus ussuriensis and Pyrus bretschneideri that exhibits consistently high resistance to Venturia nashicola. We compare its response to leaf infection by hyphae with that of its highly susceptible sister line 03‐19‐136, measure differences in their production of pathogenesis‐related substances in response to infection, the results indicated hyphae could penetrate the cuticle of 03‐04‐034 in the early stages of infection and grew between cells and died finally in later infection stages, which suggested the resistance of 03‐04‐034 to scab was initiated by pathogen infection and occurred in later infection stages, typical of systemic acquired resistance. Experiments with the pathogen itself and with exogenous salicylic acid demonstrated 500 µg/ml salicylic acid treatment caused a resistance response similar to that induced by the pathogen, including dramatic increases in endogenous salicylic acid, polyphenols and lignification. In conclusion, 03‐04‐034 exhibits resistance to Venturia nashicola induced by salicylic acid at an appropriate concentration.

Branches covering (BC) is a way to reuse the pruned branches and save the cost of ground cloth. This study investigated the effects of BC and ground-cloth covering on the soil microcosm environment by measuring the chemical properties and microbial communities at different soil depths for 6 years. The results revealed that BC significantly improved soil chemical properties, increased the abundance of bacterial microbial communities and the diversity and homogeneity of bacteria and fungi, while decreased the abundance of fungal microbial communities. There was a threshold value for the regulation of microbial communities by BC, which decreased the high-abundance communities (Proteobacteria, Ascomycota, etc.) and increased the low-abundance communities (Acidobacteriota, Basidiomycota, etc.). Fungi were more sensitive to BC than bacteria. The stability and homogeneity of microorganisms were stronger in the 15–25 cm soil layer. The bacterial phyla were dominated by Proteobacteria, with the top 10 phyla accounting for more than 80% of the relative abundance; the genera were dominated by MND1, with the top 10 genera accounting for about 10%. The fungal phyla were dominated by Ascomycota, with the top 10 phyla accounting for 50–90%; the genera were dominated by unidentified Pyronemataceae sp., with the top 10 genera accounting for 30–60%. The phyla that differed significantly between treatments were mainly Proteobacteria, Ascomycota, Acidobacteriota, and Basidiomycota. In addition, metabolism was the predominant function in bacteria, while Saprotroph was the predominant function in fungi. Bacteroidota correlated strongly with soil chemical properties and bacterial functions, while Chytridiomycota correlated strongly with soil chemical properties and Pathogen-Saprotroph-Symbiotroph. In conclusion, BC can improve soil nutrient content and optimize microbial community structure and function. Through initially assessing the effects of BC on soil nutrients and microorganisms in pear orchard rows, this study provides a reference for excavating key microorganisms and updating the soil row management model.