Shenandoah Pear
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Shenandoah pear pollination guide: Max-Red Bartlett cross, Bloom Group 3 overlap, long storage life, and USDA blight resistance.
Shenandoah is Self-Sterile (Needs 1 Diploid Partner)
USDA-ARS Kearneysville introduction (2003). Moderate fire-blight resistance and long storage life. Direct offspring of Max Red Bartlett (bud sport of Bartlett); mutually incompatible with Bartlett. Shenandoah 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
- 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 (21)
| 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 | 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 | 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) | 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 |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (5)
These pear varieties overlap in flowering time with Shenandoah but cannot fertilise it due to non-viable pollen (male-sterile diploids), direct parentage exclusions, or shared incompatibility alleles.
A direct parent (Max Red Bartlett × US 56112-146) — 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.
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: Bartlett Heritage, Extended Storage & Blight Moderation
Released by the USDA-ARS Kearneysville station in 2003, Shenandoah was bred from a cross of Max-Red Bartlett and a blight-resistant seedling selection. The fruit is large, pale greenish-yellow with an attractive red blush, delivering juicy, sweet, fine-textured flesh with an aromatic vinous character.
Shenandoah is a diploid cultivar flowering in Bloom Group 3. It overlaps consistently with Bartlett, Beurré Bosc, Harrow Sweet, and Potomac. It produces viable pollen and serves as an effective reciprocal donor in mid-season blocks.
The tree exhibits spreading, productive growth with wide crotch angles that reduce limb breakage under full crop loads. Shenandoah comes into bearing early on clonal rootstocks and maintains regular annual yields without severe biennial swings. The cultivar requires moderate winter chilling (approximately 800 hours below 7°C) to ensure uniform budbreak and compact flowering in spring. In commercial packing trials, Shenandoah has shown low susceptibility to core breakdown and superficial scald, maintaining firm flesh and bright appearance throughout long storage cycles.
Key Orchard Considerations for Shenandoah
Demonstrates excellent precocity and tree form on OHxF 87 rootstock. Wide branch angles facilitate canopy light interception and mechanical harvesting access.
Moderate-to-high field resistance to fire blight, suffering far fewer shoot strikes than standard Bartlett grown under equivalent disease pressure.
Harvests mid-to-late season (approximately three to four weeks after Bartlett). Holds exceptionally well in cold storage for up to four months without internal breakdown.
Take Shenandoah 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 Shenandoah 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.