Pinova (Piñata®) Apple
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Pinova (Piñata) pollination requirements, bloom group 3 timing, and compatible partners. Complete guide to compact spur habit and scab tolerance.
Pinova is Self-Sterile (Needs 1 Partner)
Golden Delicious is a direct parent and does not pollinate it. High annual yielder with partial resistance to scab and mildew. Pinova (Piñata®) needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 2–4 to set a reliable crop.
- Chromosome Ploidy
- Diploid (2n)
- Required Companions
- 1 Diploid Partner
- Bloom Group
- Group 3 (Mid-Spring)
- Harvest Timing
- Late Season (Anchor @ 0d)
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 2 to 4 provides matching blossom overlap.
Compatible Pollination Partners (87)
| Cultivar | Bloom Group | Overlap Type | Harvest | Primary Uses | Interactive Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hudson's Golden Gem | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Keepsake | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Storage, All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Northwest Greening | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Cooking | Test Cross |
Peck's Pleasant | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid Concurrent (±0d) | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Regent | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Suncrisp | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating, Cider | Test Cross | |
Black Oxford | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | All-Purpose, Storage | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Connell Red | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±10d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±10d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Crimson Gold | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±10d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±10d delta | Cider, Cooking | Test Cross | |
Honeygold | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±10d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (19)
These varieties overlap in flowering time with Pinova 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 (Clivia × Golden Delicious) — roughly half the pollen is non-functional, so it is not a reliable partner.
Gravenstein produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
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.
Ribston Pippin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Roxbury Russet 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.
Tompkins King 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: Pinova High Density, Scab Tolerance & Crop Regularity
Pinova (marketed in North America under the trademark Piñata® and also known as Sonata or Corail) is a diploid, self-sterile cultivar bred at the Institut für Obstforschung Dresden-Pillnitz, Germany, from a cross of Clivia × Golden Delicious (released 1986). Flowering in bloom group 3 (mid-season), it produces abundant viable pollen and cross-pollinates readily with companion diploids such as Gala, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Braeburn.
Parentage exclusions: Because Golden Delicious is a direct parent, Golden Delicious shares S-incompatibility alleles with Pinova and must not be relied upon as a solitary pollination companion.
High-density orchard ideal: Pinova displays a compact, upright spur-bearing habit of moderate vigor with exceptional precocity, frequently bearing marketable crops in the second year after planting on M9 or G41 rootstocks. It maintains regular, heavy annual yields with minimal biennial bearing tendency.
Agronomic resilience: Inheriting traits from Cox through Clivia and Golden Delicious, Pinova exhibits partial genetic tolerance to apple scab and powdery mildew, requiring fewer fungicide applications than traditional European dessert cultivars and storing well for 6–8 months.
Key Orchard Considerations for Pinova
Ideal for intensive spindle and V-trellis systems due to naturally compact branch angles and high spur fertility.
Do not pair with parent variety Golden Delicious as an exclusive cross-pollinizer.
Highly regular annual fruit set requiring routine cluster thinning to maintain premium 75–85 mm commercial packout sizing.
Take Pinova 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 Pinova 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.