GoldRush Apple
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
GoldRush apple pollination guide, late bloom group 4 timing, and compatible partners. Essential guide for genetic scab immunity and 7+ month storage.
GoldRush is Self-Sterile (Needs 1 Partner)
Golden Delicious is a direct parent and is not a reliable pollinizer for it — which matters, because Golden Delicious is the partner most often specified by default. It blooms late; Granny Smith, Braeburn and Enterprise all overlap and are clean. GoldRush needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 3–5 to set a reliable crop.
- Chromosome Ploidy
- Diploid (2n)
- Required Companions
- 1 Diploid Partner
- Bloom Group
- Group 4 (Late-Spring)
- Harvest Timing
- Late (+20d from Golden Delicious)
Flowering Period & Overlap Window
Apple flowering periods are classified into numbered bloom groups (1 through 6). A variety reliably cross-pollinates with cultivars in its own group or adjacent groups (±1 group).
Any compatible diploid apple flowering within Group 3 to 5 provides matching blossom overlap.
Compatible Pollination Partners (73)
| Cultivar | Bloom Group | Overlap Type | Harvest | Primary Uses | Interactive Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | All-Purpose | Test Cross | |
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Cooking | Test Cross | |
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±10d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±10d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross | |
Newtown Pippin | Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±10d delta | All-Purpose, Storage | Test Cross |
White Winter Pearmain | Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±10d delta | All-Purpose, Storage | Test Cross |
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±10d delta | All-Purpose, Cider | Test Cross | |
York Imperial | Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±10d delta | All-Purpose, Storage | Test Cross |
Beni Shogun | Group 4 | Full Overlap | Mid ±15d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Lady Williams | Group 4 | Full Overlap | Very Late ±15d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Tydeman's Late Orange | Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±15d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Melrose | Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±20d delta | All-Purpose, Storage | Test Cross |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (15)
These varieties overlap in flowering time with GoldRush but cannot fertilise it due to sterile pollen (triploids) or shared genetic incompatibility alleles.
Arkansas Black produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Ashmead's Kernel produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Baldwin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Belle de Boskoop produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Blenheim Orange produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Bramley's Seedling produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Fall Pippin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
A direct parent (Golden Delicious × Co-op 17) — roughly half the pollen is non-functional, so it is not a reliable partner.
Jonagold produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Karmijn de Sonnaville produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Mutsu (Crispin) produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Orleans Reinette produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Spigold produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Stayman Winesap produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Zabergau Reinette produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Grower Commentary: GoldRush Scab Immunity, Tart-Sweet Mellowing & Storage
GoldRush (selection Co-op 38) is a diploid, self-sterile cultivar developed by the PRI (Purdue–Rutgers–Illinois) cooperative disease-resistant apple breeding program from a cross of Golden Delicious × Co-op 17 (released 1994). Flowering late in bloom group 4 (late spring), it produces abundant viable pollen and cross-pollinates effectively with companion diploids such as Granny Smith, Braeburn, Rome Beauty, and Enterprise.
Parentage exclusions: Golden Delicious is the seed parent of GoldRush and shares S-incompatibility alleles with it; Golden Delicious must not be used as an exclusive pollination companion.
Scab immunity and orchard health: Carries the dominant Vf gene conferring complete field immunity to apple scab (Venturia inaequalis), alongside moderate resistance to fire blight and powdery mildew. It is a cornerstone cultivar for low-spray and certified organic orchard systems.
Flavor maturation and storage longevity: Fresh off the tree in late autumn, GoldRush is intensely sharp and acidic; in cold storage, sugars mellow into a rich, complex, honeyed flavor profile over 2–4 months. It holds exceptional crispness in standard refrigeration for 7 to 9 months without shriveling.
Key Orchard Considerations for GoldRush
Complete immunity to apple scab significantly reduces spring fungicide applications in organic and IPM orchards.
Exclude Golden Delicious as a sole cross-pollinizer due to direct shared parentage alleles.
Requires a long growing season to hang into late autumn; fruit matures best after post-harvest storage mellowing.
Take GoldRush from Planning to Planting
Use Kropigo's free browser tools to model your block density, tree counts, and pollinizer rows, then maintain permanent orchard records row by row.
Pollination Checker
Check GoldRush against supported cultivars with compatible flowering and pollination data.
Commercial Block Planner
Calculate high-density tree spacing, row geometry, and establishment costs.
Block Record Keeping
Track pruning, chemical thinning, and harvest tallies block by block from the orchard.