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[Kevin Bradley <edibleforestnursery@edibleforestnursery.com>]

I tend to suspect an overly wet soil, or, it seems that pear leaves turn 
black whenever they die, unlike apple leaves that turn yellow and brown. 
This is strictly based on gut feelings from recollection of past pear 
deaths (such recollections seem rather vague to me right now though as I 
haven't grown pears in containers for a couple years.)
Kevin B