Changes in the levels of polyphenols in three pear varieties during bud development

The polyphenol content of three orchard pear varieties, Conference, Doyenne du Comice and Williams bon Chretien as determined between November 1981 and March 1982 as a preliminary part of a study to ascertain the basis of dietary self‐selection by bullfinches. The varieties most susceptible to bird damage, Conference and Williams, were shown to contain higher levels of extractable phenolic material than the partly bird‐resistant variety, Comice. There were no major intravarietal differences between buds of the same variety collected at different areas of the same site. The significance of these results is discussed.