Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center

Fruit Horticulture Program

Photo collage of apples, grapes and wine

Asian Pear Summary 1978-88

A trial of 18 Asian pear cultivars at Mount Vernon was concluded in 1988, and resulted in the following evaluations.  Varieties and selections are listed in harvest order, starting with the earliest ripening; (* = Currently planted)

Cultivar Harvest Set Size Skin Color Comments
Yakumo early Sept good med yellow sweet flavor, thin skin, attractive
Kosui* early Sept heavy sm-med tan excellent flavor, pseudomonas susceptible
Hosui mid Sept light med-lg tan conspicuous lenticels, excellent flavor, very disease prone (Pseudomonas)
Shinseiki* late Sept good med yellow flavor mild, sweet, thin skin, attractive, keeps well in storage
Shinseiho late Sept good med yellow attractive but poor flavor, lacks sweetness
Seigyoku late Sept light med yellow green lenticels, flavor good at harvest but deteriorates rapidly
Kikusui late Sept mod mod green russet blotches, unattractive, flavor good, declines in storage
Nijisseiki late Sept heavy sm-med yellow flavor good, inferior to Shinseiki, less attractive
UC 8-46* early Oct good lg-v.lg yellow russet blotches, unattractive, flavor good to very good, some breakdown in storage
UC 12-43 early Oct good med-lg yellow greenish russet, somewhat pyriform shape, flavor spicy to astringent, grainy texture
UC 12-44 early Oct mod med yellow russet blotches, flavor poor to fair
UC 17-63* e-mid Oct heavy large yellow green lenticels, good flavor, mild, pleasant, keeps well in storage
Seuri e-mid Oct mod med tan russeted, somewhat pyriform shape, long stem, flavor very spicy, declines in storage
Yongi e-mid Oct heavy med-lg tan russet, orange shade, flavor very good, sweet, spicy, keeps well in storage
Chojuro* e-mid Oct heavy med-lg tan russet, flavor good, sweet, spicy, keeps well in storage
Shinko mid Oct good med-lg tan greenish russet, flavor mild, pleasant, keeps well in storage
Niitaka late Oct heavy med-lg tan greenish russet, flavor mild, fair to good, keeps well in storage
Ar-ri-rang* 
(Olympic)
late Oct mod med-lg brown flavor fair to poor, improved slightly in storage, (a.k.a. Den Bae, Korean Giant)
WSU Mount Vernon NWREC, 16650 State Route 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273, 360-848-6120, FAX 360-848-6159, Contact Us