Comice (Doyenné du Comice) Pear
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Comice pear pollination guide: Bloom Group 4 timing, diploid companion choices, Quince rootstock affinity, and cold storage conditioning.
Comice is Self-Sterile (Needs 1 Diploid Partner)
Comice (Doyenné du Comice) 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 (14)
| Cultivar | Bloom Group | Overlap Type | Harvest | Primary Uses | Interactive Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating, Cooking | 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 ±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 | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Early ±39d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±42d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (6)
These pear varieties overlap in flowering time with Comice but cannot fertilise it due to non-viable pollen (male-sterile diploids), direct parentage exclusions, or shared incompatibility alleles.
A direct parent (Doyenné du Comice × Conference) — roughly half the pollen is non-functional, so it is not a reliable partner.
Gourmet produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
A direct parent (Bartlett × Doyenné du Comice) — roughly half the pollen is non-functional, so it is not a reliable partner.
A direct parent (Giant Seckel × Doyenné du Comice) — roughly half the pollen is non-functional, so it is not a reliable partner.
A sport of the same cultivar — genetically identical, so it carries the same incompatibility alleles and cannot pollinate it.
Warren produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Pomological Assessment: Elite Dessert Quality, Late Flowering & Chilling Needs
Raised in Angers, France, in the 1840s, Doyenné du Comice is universally acknowledged as the pinnacle of dessert pears. The fruit is large, broad-shouldered, and delicate, with extraordinarily fine, buttery, melting flesh that yields an abundance of sweet, perfumed juice without a trace of grit.
Comice is completely self-incompatible and flowers slightly later than the European average, placing it in Bloom Group 4. To secure commercial crops, it must be interplanted with late-midseason or late-flowering diploids, such as Conference, Concorde, Beurré Bosc, or Harrow Sweet. Its delicate skin and susceptibility to wind-scuffing require sheltered orchard blocks with adequate windbreak protection.
Tree habit is naturally vigorous and upright, with a tendency toward slow, delayed bearing on standard seedling stocks. Selecting dwarfing rootstocks like Quince C and applying branch spreading or notch pruning induces earlier flowering spurs. Fruit clusters must be carefully thinned to avoid branch rub and fruit limb scarring. Additionally, Comice foliage requires careful monitoring during spring shoot extension, as succulent new growth is attractive to pear psylla and susceptible to early scab spores in high-humidity microclimates.
Key Orchard Considerations for Comice
Comice displays excellent direct affinity with Quince rootstocks. Planting on Quince A or Quince C is the commercial standard in Europe, as it tempers the tree's natural vigour, encourages branching, and accelerates the onset of bearing.
Moderately susceptible to fire blight and highly prone to pear scab (Venturia pyrina). Because the skin is thin and tender, russeting sprays and copper formulations must be used with care during early fruitlet cell division.
Harvested late in the season while still hard green (4.5–5.5 kg/cm² or 10–12 lbs). Comice requires 30 to 60 days of cold storage conditioning at -0.5°C before it can ripen to its signature melt-in-the-mouth consistency.
Take Comice 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 Comice 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.