Magness Pear
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Magness pear pollination guide: male-sterile diploid genetics, pollinizer partner requirements, fire blight resistance, and orchard planning.
Magness is Male-Sterile (Needs 1 Partner · Cannot Donate Pollen)
Male-sterile: produces no functional pollen. Never counts as a pollinizer. Magness needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 2–4 to set a reliable crop.
- Chromosome Ploidy
- Diploid · Male-Sterile
- Required Companions
- 1 Diploid Partner
- Bloom Group
- Group 3 (Mid-Spring)
- Harvest Timing
- Mid (+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 2 to 4 provides matching blossom overlap.
Compatible Pollination Partners (20)
| Cultivar | Bloom Group | Overlap Type | Harvest | Primary Uses | Interactive Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 ±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 | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Early ±39d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±42d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| 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 |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (6)
These pear varieties overlap in flowering time with Magness but cannot fertilise it due to non-viable pollen (male-sterile diploids), direct parentage exclusions, or shared incompatibility alleles.
A direct parent (Giant Seckel × Doyenné du Comice) — 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.
Luscious produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
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 a direct parent (Giant Seckel × Doyenné du Comice) — genetically identical to that parent, so roughly half its pollen is non-functional and it is not a reliable partner.
Warren produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Pomological Assessment: Male Sterility, Pollinizer Planning & Dessert Excellence
Released by the USDA in 1968 from a cross between Seckel seedling and Comice, Magness was bred specifically to combine elite dessert quality with heavy resistance to fire blight. Its fruit is medium-to-large with smooth, buttery, grit-free flesh and an intensely perfumed aromatic profile that rivals the finest European heritage cultivars.
Crucially, Magness is a male-sterile diploid cultivar. While it possesses standard diploid chromosomes (2n) and readily accepts pollen from other cultivars, its anthers produce shrivelled, non-viable pollen grains. Magness can never fertilise another pear tree. In commercial orchard layouts, Magness must be paired with at least one viable diploid pollen donor—such as Bartlett, Bosc, or Harrow Sweet—flowering in Bloom Group 3. Companion cultivars cannot depend on Magness for their own fruit set.
The tree is vigorous and spreading, with thorn-like spurs on young wood that disappear as trees mature. Early cropping can be light, but once spur systems establish, Magness yields dependable, regular crops of top-tier dessert fruit.
Key Orchard Considerations for Magness
Performs best on clonal Pyrus rootstocks including OHxF 87 and OHxF 97. Can show delayed compatibility directly on Quince; interstem grafting with Beurré Hardy is strongly advised if working with Quince stocks.
Exceptional genetic resistance to fire blight (Erwinia amylovora), resisting both blossom strikes and deep trunk cankers. Outstanding choice for high-humidity districts where blight regularly devastates Bartlett and Bosc.
Harvest begins approximately one week after Bartlett when fruit surface softens slightly from dark green to pale yellowish-green. Requires 2–3 weeks of cold conditioning to develop its signature melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Take Magness 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 Magness 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.