Nowadays, the choice of pear varieties is very large. Today, more than 6,000 different pear varieties are grown in the world. The choice of variety should be adapted to the economic and ecological conditions of the area where the pear is to be grown.
The listed varieties are classified and arranged in the order of ripening for harvest. The ripening time is expressed as a relative relation to the ripening of the Viljamovka variety and the number of days that each variety ripens before or after the Viljamovka variety. In Croatia, Viljamovka ripens for harvest from August 15 to 25. This is followed by a description of the most important leading and supporting varieties of pear for production plantations.
Very early summer: 1st decade of July
- Summer green, Magdalena, June beauty
Early summer: 2nd and 3rd decade of July
- July colorful, Etrusca, Tikvica, Žifarova, Tosca, Košia
Mid-summer: 1st and 2nd decade of August
- Rana Moretinijeva, Trevuška, Klapova, Gijoova, Santa Maria, Starkimson
Late summer: the third decade of August and the first days of September
- Viljamovka, Rosired Bartlett, Vjenka, Dvostruka Filipova
Early autumn: 1st decade of September
- Margareta Marija, Spartlet, Gelertova (Hardijeva), California
Mid-autumn: 2nd decade of September
- Avranška, Patten, Grand Champion, Cascade, Conference
Late autumn: the third decade of September and the first days of October
- Fetelova, Concorde, Drusvetka, General Leclerc, Harrow Sweet, Pakamova, Lukasova, Kleržo, Boskova Zucchini
Early winter: 1st and 2nd decade of October
- Steppe, Winter trout, Kiferova, Druarova
Late winter: 3rd decade of October
- Hardenpontova, Countess of Paris, Olivierova, Krasanka, Winter dean
The leading pear varieties for production plantations include:
Williams = Bartlett
An old variety originating from Great Britain. In the USA it is called Bartlett. It was created as an accidental seed. It is one of the most widespread varieties of pear in the world, which is why it is called the cosmopolitan pear. It is a late summer variety whose fruits ripen around August 20. Large fruits (225 to 250 g) can be used fresh or for processing, especially in juice and the very famous “Viljamovka” brandy. They are pear-shaped and with bumps on the surface. The basic color of the fruit is light green, and as it matures, it turns lemon-yellow. Small brown lenticels are observed on the skin. The meat has a fine-grained structure and a very fine texture, yellowish-white in color, sweet, juicy. It is full of flavor with a specifically recognizable, rather strong nutmeg aroma and smell. Blooms mid to late. It is a diploid variety. Good pollinators are Pakamova, Klapova, Boskova, Drustvenka, Konferans. Comes early in the crop, gives regular and tall nature. It has medium growth and good branching ability. It is very sensitive to bacterial blight, scab and pear flea. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 months. Of the physiological diseases, browning of the foreskin and browning of the testis are more significant. From natural mutations, we distinguish the bud mutation Bartlett – USA. These include the mutants Rosired Bartlett and Max Red Bartlett. The Max Red Bartlett – Australia bud mutations include the Sensation Bartlett mutant. Its biggest disadvantages are that it does not have a complementary skin color and is not compatible with quince and is prone to parthenocarpic fruit set. Regardless of these shortcomings, due to its adaptability (it is grown up to 800 m above sea level), excellent fertility and outstanding fruit quality, it is considered an irreplaceable variety.
Butirra précoce Morettini
The country of origin of this variety is Italy. It is one of the best early pears that ripens at the end of July, approximately 20 days before Viljamovka. It has medium to vigorous growth. It naturally forms a wide pyramidal crown. Blooms early to medium early. It is a diploid variety. Its good pollinators are Gelertova, Žifarova, Krasanka, Fetelova, Lipanjska ljepotica, Trevuška. It gives birth early and gives birth abundantly and regularly. It produces medium-sized fruits (140 g) pear-shaped. The skin of the fruit is quite thin, fragile, smooth, dry and shiny, with a basic light green color that changes to greenish-yellow with a bright red color on the sunny side as it matures. The flesh of the fruit is white. It has a sweet and juicy, refreshing taste and a very pleasant aroma. It is of excellent quality. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. It is sensitive to late spring frosts. In northwestern Croatia, it shows susceptibility to frostbite. It does not have the best compatibility with quince, so it should be grafted onto an intermediate substrate. Fruits are sensitive to manipulation and transport.
Beurré Bosc (Bosc’s gourd, Bosc’s bottle, Bosc’s, Kaiserica)
This variety originates from France. Parents are unknown. It belongs to the late autumn varieties because it ripens about 36 days after Viljamovka (second half of September to the beginning of October). It produces medium to large (230 to 280 g) fruits with a characteristic pear-shaped shape like a gourd/bottle. It has a long and elegant stem. At the time of harvest, it has a basic light green skin color, which later changes to light yellow as it matures, and the rust takes on a typical cinnamon-red tone. Due to rust, the fruit is relatively rough, but still has an attractive appearance. The flesh of the fruit is yellowish-white in color, fine-textured with small sclerenchyma grains, juicy, soluble, sour-sweet taste, full but insufficiently harmonious due to the lack of acids. It has a very specific and pronounced aroma. It is an excellent table variety. They bloom late. It is a diploid variety. Good pollinators are Drustvenka, Gelertova, Viljamovka, Klapova, Konferans. It comes into the crop mid-late. It gives a tall and regular nature a little less than the most fertile varieties. It stands out for its medium to lush growth and hanging habit (branches bent towards the ground), so the choice of substrate is important. It is resistant to drought and frost. It has little sensitivity to scab, is sensitive to pear flea, and is very sensitive to bacterial blight. Of the physiological diseases, browning of the skin and seed coat, hollowness of the flesh and internal breakage are the most common. It can be stored in CA refrigerators for 5 to 7 months.
Passe Crassane (Paskrasan, Krasanka)
Krasanka is a variety originating from France. Parents are unknown. It is represented in the assortment of all fruit-growing countries, including in Croatia. It is one of the late pear varieties, it belongs to the late winter varieties, and it ripens for harvest about 55 days after Viljamovka, in the first half of October. It is ready to eat at the beginning of November. It produces large to very large fruits weighing 270 to 340 g. The fruits are round and flattened, apple-shaped. They have thick, rough and dry skin. At the time of harvest, they are light olive in color, which changes to greenish-yellow i.e. straw-yellow as they mature. Around the calyx and petiole it is rust colored. Rusty lenticels are evenly distributed over the surface of the skin. The flesh is yellowish-white, medium-fine texture with small and medium-large sclerenchyma cells. It is juicy, completely soluble, with a sweet and sour taste, due to the predominant acids it has a slightly discordant, but full and astringent taste, unobtrusive aroma and mild smell. Blooms mid-early to mid-late. It is a diploid variety. Good pollinators are Fetelova, Viljamovka, Boskova, Konferans, Kleržo, Druardova maslovka. It begins to give birth mid-early to mid-late. It is of weak growth and medium branching. Forms a small, narrow and pyramidal crown. To thrive, it needs deep and fertile soil and a warmer climate. It requires irrigation and sharper pruning. It is very sensitive to bacterial blight, moderately sensitive to scab and pear flea, and is also sensitive to Botrytis cinerea. It has satisfactory compatibility with quince. Physiological diseases cause internal browning of the meat. It can be stored well in the CA refrigerator for 6 to 7 months.
Conferance
This is the most widely cultivated variety in the world. He is originally from Great Britain. It was created by the selection of seeds obtained by free pollination of the Leon Leclerc de Naval variety. It is a mid-late autumn variety that ripens about 26 days after Viljamovka. It produces medium to large fruits weighing 190 to 240 g. The fruits have the shape of an elongated gourd, the basic color of the skin is dull green, which is mostly covered with a torn rusty color and is not very attractive. The flesh is yellowish-white in color, and around the seeds is orange-red in color, it has a fine texture with some small sclereids and is juicy. It has a sweet and sour taste with a pronounced pleasant aroma. Blooms early to mid-late. It is a diploid variety. It has great demands on climatic conditions. Good pollinators are Gelertova, Boskova, Drustvenka, Viljamovka. It enters the crop early and produces tall and regular trees. It stands out for its medium to lush growth, branched and well-developed crown. It is very sensitive to bacterial blight, and less to scab and pear flea. Physiological diseases include browning of the skin and pitting of the fruit. It has excellent storage capacity. It can be stored in CA refrigerators for 6 to 7 months. After taking out of the cold storage, and before selling, the fruits should be ripened, otherwise they are too hard. Mutants Conferance precoce Saels, tetraploid Novi conferance, tetraploid Conferance Grootvruchtige Saels and tetraploid Super Conferance were obtained by natural bud mutation.
The accompanying pear varieties for production plantations include:
Abbe Fetel
Fetel’s variety is of French origin. Parents are unknown. It belongs to the late autumn varieties. It ripens for harvest about 30 days after Viljamovka, at the end of September. It produces large to very large fruits weighing 250 to 320 g. The fruits have a specific, very elongated pear-shaped shape, which attracts the attention of buyers. The basic color at the time of harvest is light green, which changes to straw yellow as it matures. Rusty lenticels are distributed over the surface of the skin. At the hollow of the pear and at the top of the neck, it is rust colored. The flesh is yellowish white, of medium fine texture with a few small sclerenchyma cells, juicy. It has a sweet and slightly empty taste, incongruous due to the lack of acids, a medium pronounced aroma and a mild smell. Very high quality table variety. Blooms mid-early to mid-late (before Viljamovka). It is a diploid variety. Good pollinators are Gelertova, Viljamovka, Boskova, Pakamova, Krasanka and other diploid varieties that bloom at the same time. It comes into bearing mid-early and produces only medium-tall natures. It is prone to alternate fertility and the setting of parthenocarpic fruits. It stands out for its medium to moderately vigorous growth and develops a well-branched crown with thin shoots that need to be thinned out by pruning. 80% of the fruits are borne on a native shoot called a spike. Grafted on quince, it is suitable for growing in a dense group of 3,000 trees/ha. An intermediate substrate should be used because Fetelova is not compatible with quince. Good intermediate substrates are Gelertova, Pastorčica, Santa Maria and others. It does not tolerate alkaline soils with more than 1.5% active lime, because it suffers from ferrochlorosis, i.e. yellowness. It is very sensitive to bacterial blight, moderately sensitive to pear flea and slightly sensitive to scab. Fruits harvested too early are prone to browning of the skin. It is stored in CA refrigerators for 4 to 5 months.
Doyenne du Comice
She is a socialite originally from France. Her parents are unknown. It belongs to the late autumn varieties. Ripens about 32 days after Viljamovka. It produces large to very large fruits weighing 20 to 300 g. The fruits are pear-shaped, asymmetrical. The basic color at the time of harvest is dull green, and with ripening it turns greenish-yellow. Light brown rusty lenticels are more densely distributed around the stem and calyx. The flesh of the fruit is yellowish-white in color, very fine in texture with few sclereids, juicy and soluble, sweet-sour and full-flavored, with a specific, pleasant, unobtrusive aroma. They bloom late. It is a diploid variety. Good pollinators are Konferans, Viljamovka, Klapova, Boskova, Fetelova. Since it comes into the crop late, it is necessary to graft it on weakly lush rootstocks. The height of nature depends a lot on good cultivation technology. From the beginning of childbearing, it has a vigorous growth, which later turns into a medium growth. It is extremely sensitive to bacterial blight, very sensitive to scab, medium to pear flea and root cancer. Physiological diseases include browning of the skin, seed coat and flesh. It can be stored for 5 to 6 months in CA refrigerators.
Packham’s triumph
This old variety is originally from Australia. It is the most common variety in the countries of the southern hemisphere. It was created by crossing the Belle Angevine × Williams variety. It belongs to the late autumn varieties. It ripens for harvest 34 days after Viljamovka. It produces medium-sized to large fruits weighing 230 to 280 g. The fruits are pear-shaped and humpbacked, with a light green basic skin color at the time of harvest, and straw-yellow when ripe. The rust is distributed mainly around the calyx and peduncle. The flesh of the fruit is almost white, very fine texture with small sclereids, juicy and soluble. It has a sweet and sour, fairly full taste, a pleasant aroma and smell that are less pronounced than Viljamovka. They bloom mid-early to mid-late, a little before or at the same time as Viljamovka. It is a diploid variety. Good pollinators are Viljamovka, Boskova, Konferans, Fetelova. It begins to bear fruit early, gives regular and large fruits, but is prone to parthenocarpy. Not compatible with quince base. At the beginning, it stands out for its medium growth, which later becomes weakly lush. The ability to branch is medium, and the branching angle of the branches is not great. It is very sensitive to bacterial blight, it is moderately sensitive to scab and pear flea, and it is sensitive to root cancer. Physiological diseases cause browning of the cuticle and seed coat. It can be stored in CA refrigerators for 7 to 8 months.
Bella di giugno
This variety originates from Italy. It ripens at the end of June, about 46 days before Viljamovka. Medium early bloomers. It stands out for its great fertility. Tree growth is medium to lush. It produces relatively small fruits weighing around 60 g. The fruits are elongated, pear-shaped and plump. The skin of the fruit is dry, smooth, shiny. The basic color of the skin of the fruit is light green with rusty spots, which turns a beautiful red on the sunny side. It tends to ripen quickly. The flesh of the fruit is pale yellow in color, sweet, juicy and very aromatic, with a medium empty taste due to the lack of acids and sugar. The flesh contains small sclerenchyma cells. She gives birth regularly. Blooms early. Good pollinators are Trevuška, Fetelova, Konferans, Viljamovka, Rana Morettinijeva. It is a diploid variety. It is of medium lush and pyramidal growth. Forms a weakly branched crown. In order to achieve a larger fertile area and better branching, it is necessary to systematically shorten longer shoots during the formation of the growing form with the aim of branching more. It does not have a satisfactory affinity with quince, so it needs an intermediate substrate. Not prone to parthenocarpy.
Colorée de juillet
Sarpanjska šarena is an old French variety. It ripens in mid-July. It produces small to medium fruits weighing 80 to 100 g. The fruit is oval in shape, light green in color with striped redness on the sunny side. The petiole is large, of medium length, slightly rounded, placed obliquely at the top of the fruit. The flesh of the fruit is white, soft, sweet and has a mild smell. The tree is of lush growth. It has a short period of use. It is well adapted to different climatic and pedological conditions.
Précoce de Trevoux
Old French variety. It produces bell-shaped fruits. It ripens at the beginning of August, 4 to 5 days after the variety Rana Morettinijeva, i.e. about 19 days before Viljamovka. It produces medium-sized fruits with an average weight of 140 g. The fruits have a nearly oval, pear-shaped shape. The skin of the fruit turns yellow as it ripens, while the basic color is greenish-yellow with densely distributed brown lenticels on the surface. On the sunny side, it is covered with bright redness. The flesh of the fruit is almost white in color, juicy, soluble and tasty, with a refreshing sweet-sour taste and a pleasant aroma with small sclerenchyma cells. It is an excellent table variety, but it is also suitable for various forms of processing (jam, brandy, compote). The tree is weakly lush. It blooms early and is a diploid variety. As it is extremely parthenocarpic, it can be grown without a pollinator, and it can produce abundantly even in years with unfavorable climatic conditions during the flowering period. Good pollinators are June gold, Rana Morettinijeva and Srpanjska sharena. It is not compatible with quince, so it must be grafted onto an intermediate substrate. The fruits have poor transportability and duration, so for this reason they are harvested while they are still hard.
Poire de Curé
It is an old French variety. Blooms mid-early to mid-late. Good pollinators are the varieties Klapov pjemjit, Trevuška, Krasanka, Gelertova. The fruits ripen at the beginning of October. It stands out for its great fertility. The tree is very lush and forms a pyramidal crown. It produces large fruits weighing 180 to 250 g. The fruits have a typical pear-shaped shape. Their basic color is yellow-green, and with ripening it changes to straw yellow. A nice redness appears on the sunny side. The flesh of the fruit is juicy, firm, white in color, sweet and sour, without a special aroma and slightly soluble in the mouth. Often a brown line or a slight indentation runs along the fruit. It is resistant to late spring frosts, drought, and is moderately sensitive to scab. Fruits are prone to falling off and parthenocarpy. It is compatible with quince, so it is often used as an intermediate substrate during vaccination. It can be stored well and for a long time.
Beurré d’ Hardenpont
Old Belgian variety. It ripens in October. It belongs to the winter varieties. The fruit is medium-sized to large, weighing more than 250 g, oblong-flattened, humped and quince-like. The skin of the fruit is quite smooth, basic green, sometimes green-yellowish-gray with gray lenticels. As it matures, it changes to a lemon-yellow color. It has a very strong and short stem. Peteljka’s indentation is shallow. The flesh of the fruit is white, fine-textured, creamy, fatty, very juicy, sweet and has a pleasant smell. The variety is of excellent quality.
Beurré Hardy
Old French variety. It is among the most valued table varieties of pears. It is an early autumn variety that ripens at the beginning of September, about 14 days after Viljamovka. In intensive cultivation, it is not very common due to the unsightly and unattractive varietal characteristic of the rusty coating on the skin of the fruit. Therefore, it is mostly grown in gardens. It produces medium-sized to large fruits that are almost pear-shaped. The basic color of the skin is dull green, which turns into a dull yellow, ocher color as it matures. The skin is rough and relatively thin. Lenticels on the surface of the skin combine with various forms of rust, so ripe fruits acquire a specific, attractive cinnamon color. The flesh of the fruit is yellowish-white in color, medium firm, very fine texture with a few sclereids, juicy, soluble, noble sour-sweet taste. The petiole is of medium length and quite strong. The variety is of very good quality. The tree is lush to very lush, but slow growing. This variety is characterized by poor branching, so the crown is sparse, but wide because the branches and shoots are very long. Blooms mid-early to mid-late. Good pollinators are Viljamovka, Fetelova, Boskova tikvica, Krasanka, Rana Morettinijeva. It is a diploid variety. It is of excellent fertility. It is resistant to scab and late spring frosts. It is perfectly compatible with quince, so it is often used as an intermediate substrate.
Santa Maria
This is a mid-early summer variety that ripens 8 days before Viljamovka, i.e. in mid-August. It produces medium to large fruits weighing 150 to 250 g and flattened. The skin of the fruit acquires a secondary lemon yellow color, and on the sunny side it is covered with a beautiful redness. The flesh of the fruit is juicy, soluble, aromatic, with a slightly worse empty and discordant taste due to the lack of sugar, and sometimes acid. The smell is weak. The tree has a lush growth and is extremely fertile. They bloom mid-late. Good pollinators are Fetelova, Košia, Viljamovka, Krasanka, Morettinijeva. It is moderately sensitive to late spring frosts, and is sensitive to scab. It requires later and light pruning. It has a short shelf life and the fruits become mealy very quickly, so it can be stored for up to two and a half months in refrigerators. It can be vaccinated against quince.
Red Bartlett
English variety. They bloom mid-late. It ripens in mid-August, 2 to 3 days after the yellow Viljamovka. It is of medium fertility and lushness of the tree. It produces fruits of the same shape and large size as the standard Williams variety with the difference that the entire surface of Red Viljamovka is covered with a beautiful, delicate red color. The quality of the flesh of the fruit is a little weaker than the standard Viljamovka. Not compatible with quince. This variety was created by spontaneous bud mutation of the standard Viljamovka and has been spreading since 1945. It is in high demand on the market, but it is not suitable for larger plantations because the red color of the fruit is often lost. The substrates and pollinators are the same as for the yellow Viljamovka.
Clapps favorite
The variety is originally from the USA. It belongs to one of the earliest varieties. It ripens in mid-August. It bears abundantly with medium-sized fruits weighing 130 to 170 g. They have a regular pear-shaped shape. The skin of the fruit is smooth, thin, with a basic yellow-green color that turns a beautiful red on the sunny side. The flesh of the fruit is white, sweet, soluble, very juicy, slightly sour and very aromatic. It has a short, strong and fleshy stalk. Good pollinators are Viljamovka, Fetelova, Konferans. It is compatible with quince. It is of very good quality. It is very resistant to scab.
Etrusca
A new, early summer variety. It was created by crossing the Coscia × Gentile variety in Italy. It has been in production since 1991. It ripens in the first decade of July, i.e. about 39 days before Viljamovka. It produces small to medium fruits, with an average weight of 140 g, because it has a high fertility. The fruits have an elongated pear-like shape that gradually narrows towards the top. The petiole is quite long and medium thick. The skin of the fruit is smooth, with a basic light green color that changes to greenish-yellow as it ripens, with an attractive and lively redness on the sunny side. The flesh of the fruit is white, fine-textured, slightly floury when fully ripe, soluble, good-tasting and with a special aroma. The fruits stay well on the tree and do not fall off. The tree has a rather lush growth that is medium upright, so in the summer it is necessary to bend the one-year shoots. It bears on biennial shoots and shoots. Blooms medium early. A good pollinator is Fetelova. Fertility is very good and regular. It is resistant to bacterial blight. It has a great affinity with quince.
Tosca
Also a new, summer variety of pear. He is originally from Italy. It was obtained by crossing the Coscia × Williams variety. It has been in production since 1993. It ripens around July 20, about 28 days before Viljamovka. It produces medium-sized, pear-shaped fruits. The fruit has a short, wide neck that ends in a flat top and a medium-long stalk. The skin of the fruit is medium thick, light green in color, which changes to yellow-green as it ripens, and on the sunny side, a marbled redness appears, which gives the fruit an attractive appearance. The flesh of the fruit is white in color, has a medium fine texture and good taste. The fruits do not overripe. The tree is characterized by a medium lush growth. Blooms medium early. Good pollinators are varieties that bloom at the same time. It is a resistant variety.
