Anjou (Beurré d'Anjou) Pear
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Anjou pear pollination guide: Bloom Group 4 timing, diploid companion requirements, cold conditioning physiology, and winter storage.
Anjou is Self-Sterile (Needs 1 Diploid Partner)
Anjou (Beurré d'Anjou) 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 (Mid-Spring)
- Harvest Timing
- Late (+14d from Conference)
Flowering Period & Overlap Window
Pear flowering periods are compressed into numbered bloom groups (1 through 4). Cross-pollination requires overlapping blossom timing between genetically compatible cultivars, with Asian pears flowering 7–14 days ahead of mid-season European varieties.
Any compatible diploid pear flowering within Group 3 to 5 provides matching blossom overlap.
Compatible Pollination Partners (17)
| Cultivar | Bloom Group | Overlap Type | Harvest | Primary Uses | Interactive Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Canning, Cooking | Test Cross | |
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Mid Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating, Storage | Test Cross | |
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late ±21d delta | Fresh Eating, Storage | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating, Baking | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating, Storage | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±7d delta | Fresh Eating, Canning | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±14d delta | Fresh Eating, Cooking | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±14d delta | Fresh Eating, Cooking | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±21d delta | Fresh Eating, Canning | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±21d delta | Fresh Eating, Canning | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±28d delta | Fresh Eating, Canning | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Early ±28d delta | Fresh Eating, Canning | Test Cross |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (3)
These pear varieties overlap in flowering time with Anjou but cannot fertilise it due to non-viable pollen (male-sterile diploids), direct parentage exclusions, or shared incompatibility alleles.
Gourmet produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Magness produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Warren produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Pomological Assessment: Winter Pear Benchmark, Chilling Physiology & Pollination
Beurré d'Anjou is the leading winter pear of North America, originating in the vicinity of Angers, France, in the early 19th century. The fruit is short-necked, egg-shaped, and stays light green even when fully ripe. Its flesh is dense, juicy, and sweetly aromatic with a pleasant citrus-like undertone when conditioned properly.
Anjou is a self-incompatible diploid placed in Bloom Group 4. It flowers during the mid-to-late spring window, aligning well with Bartlett, Bosc, and Comice. Because Anjou can be slow to enter full production, establishing high pollinizer density and introducing managed beehives during bloom helps drive consistent early fruit set.
The tree exhibits strong vegetative vigour with spreading scaffolds that require regular summer pruning to avoid shaded interiors. Anjou fruit sets predominantly on aged spurs; renewal pruning every two to three seasons maintains spur vitality and prevents blind wood in the interior canopy. Because Anjou fruit develops a smooth, unblemished waxy skin, post-bloom protective cover sprays must be applied with fine droplet size to avoid surface russeting.
Key Orchard Considerations for Anjou
Shows moderate compatibility on Quince but performs substantially better on clonal Pyrus rootstocks such as OHxF 87 and OHxF 97. The tree is naturally vigorous and long-lived, requiring canopy management to maintain sunlight penetration into lower fruiting wood.
Moderately resistant to fire blight compared to Bartlett, but susceptible to pseudomonas blossom blast during cold, frosty bloom periods and superficial scald or black speck in long-term cold storage.
Harvested late in the season while firm green (6.0–7.0 kg/cm² or 13–15 lbs). Anjou has a strict post-harvest chilling requirement of 6 to 8 weeks at -0.5°C before it can synthesize ethylene and ripen smoothly at room temperature.
Take Anjou 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 Anjou 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.