Topaz Apple
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Topaz apple pollination requirements, bloom group 3 overlap, and partner selection. Complete guide to organic production, scab immunity, and cider quality.
Topaz is Self-Sterile (Needs 1 Partner)
Premier European organic variety with genetic immunity to apple scab (Vf gene). Reliable diploid pollinizer for mid-season cultivars. Topaz 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 (88)
| 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 |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | All-Purpose, Storage | 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 |
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 (18)
These varieties overlap in flowering time with Topaz 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.
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: Topaz Organic Leadership, Scab Immunity & Cider Depth
Topaz is a diploid, self-sterile cultivar bred at the Institute of Experimental Botany in Střížovice, Czech Republic, by Jaroslav Tupý from a cross of Rubin × Vanda (released 1993). Flowering in bloom group 3 (mid-season), it produces abundant, highly viable pollen and is an outstanding, reliable cross-pollinizer for mid-season diploid companions such as Gala, Honeycrisp, Discovery, and James Grieve.
S-allele and parentage context: Descending from Rubin and Vanda (which incorporates Lord Lambourne and Golden Delicious ancestry), Topaz possesses high compatibility across most standard commercial and heritage diploid apples.
European organic benchmark: Topaz is the leading fresh-market dessert and culinary apple in European certified organic orchards due to its inherited Vf scab immunity gene (from Malus floribunda 821) and low nitrogen requirement.
Flavor profile and cider value: Fruit features a crisp, fine-grained texture with intense, spicy tartness and high aromatic complexity. It is prized equally as a sharp dessert apple, culinary pie apple, and premium blending component in artisan hard cider. The tree exhibits medium vigor with spreading branches that form fruiting spurs readily.
Key Orchard Considerations for Topaz
Premier variety for organic and low-input plantings, eliminating standard scab cover spray programs.
Strong pollen viability and Bloom Group 3 timing make Topaz a dependable companion across mid-season blocks.
Excellent dual-use cultivar producing high-acid, high-sugar juice that enhances single-varietal and blended ciders.
Take Topaz 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 Topaz 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.