Several people are adding these pears. Anyone else have plans to add these?
“This sumptuous pear is not only sweet and juicy but it’s the 3rd fire blight-resistant pear developed by Agricultural Research Service horticulturist, Richard Bell. This large, Bartlett type pear has a sub-acid pear flavor with excellent storage life. Shenandoah stores very well without breaking down for up to five months. Ripens in September. Best pollinators: Bartlett, Anjou or Comice.”
I tried it, and found it much inferior to Seckel, Magness and Comice. These are my top three pears that I judge all others against. Harrow Sweet is a little less tasty, but much better than Shenandoah.
Shenandoah, the third fire blight-resistant pear developed by Agricultural Research Service horticulturist Richard Bell, has recently been released. The luscious new pear will appeal to consumers who enjoy rich-tasting fruit, because its higher-than-average acidity gives it a snappy flavor. Shenandoah’s relatively high acidity is balanced with a high level of sugars that makes it sweet.
Fire blight is a devastating pear disease caused by a bacterium, Erwinia amylovora, native to North America. It greatly limits pear production in eastern and midwestern states, so growers in California, Oregon and Washington produce most of the pears harvested in the United States. Shenandoah can be grown in all production regions, but will be especially useful in areas where fire blight is prevalent.
In the Eastern United States, pears mature and are harvested from early August through early October. Shenandoah matures in September, about four weeks after the widely grown Bartlett variety. Commercial and backyard pear growers will find the new pear can be stored for up to four months in cold air storage.
Bell and colleagues at the ARS Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, W.Va., began developing the original seedling of Shenandoah more than two decades ago. Because pear trees have a long juvenile period, they don’t produce enough fruit for evaluation until they are five to eight years old. The researchers then spent an additional eight years studying how long the Shenandoah pear tree takes to bear a crop, the quality of the crop’s yield and its consistency from one year to the next.
Certified bud wood of Shenandoah is available to nurseries from Pullman-based Washington State University’s National Research Support Project No. 5, by contacting manager William Howell (wehowell@wsu.edu) or by contacting Richard Bell.
" Shenandoah is a Bartlett-style pear, but it ripens 3-4 weeks later than Bartlett, and the pears can be stored in cold conditions for many months.
The flavor is sweet but less one-dimensional than Bartlett, and with some acidity when newly-picked, although this falls away in storage. The fruit size is also somewhat larger than Bartlett.
The pears are yellow/green when ripe, often with an orange flush, flecked with lenticels.
How to grow
Shenandoah flowers in the middle of the pear bloom season, alongside Bartlett. It has some resistance to fire blight, and its natural vigor helps it to resist infection.
Shenandoah was developed in the 1970s in a collaboration between the US Department of Agriculture and Ohio State University. It has a complex parentage, but Bartlett is heavily present in the ancestry and this is very much a Bartlett-style pear. It was developed to be resistant to fire blight.
I have several. They are my fastest growing pear. My tallest is about 20’. Seems like they would be pretty precocious, on par with Harrow Sweet. Just haven’t actually got to try any yet due to pollination issues. Maybe this year, as there are many more pear varieties starting to bloom in the orchard.
The oldest are 7 years old. I have a few younger three to five year old newer grafts as well. The 7-year-old trees were really set back the first few years by a hail storm that defoliated them all in mid June, as well as not having adequate deer protection. I think they would have be much faster to bear under better circumstances. If I remember correctly they are all on OHxF 97.
Like other storage pears this pear is often grown for this purpose.
" Shenandoah is a new, large and luscious European type pear, more blight resistance than Bartlett. Flavor similar to Bartlett but fruits are larger and can store for up to five months.
Shenandoah Pear
Shenandoah pear (Pyrus communis L.) is a new cultivar that combines spicy aromatic fruit flavor, long storage life, large fruit size, consistent yields, and moderate resistance to fire blight caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. All major cultivars of commercial importance as well as many of those available to home orchardists are susceptible to this devastating disease. Long storage life, absence of core breakdown, and resistance to superficial scald are also economically important physiological traits. Shenandoah was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and The Ohio State University in 2003 as a fresh market pear for commercial and home orchards.
Shenandoah is a seedling of Max Red Bartlett and US56112-146, the cross made in 1977 by T. van der Zwet and R.C. Blake. The parentage is entirely of P. communis origin, and the original source of resistance is presumed to be the old American cultivar, Seckel, thought to be a parent of Barseck. The original seedling, designated US78304-057, was selected in 1985 by R.L. Bell at the Appalachian Fruit Research Station (AFRS).
Skin color at harvest is light green with 10% to 25% red blush. The skin turns yellow–green when ripe. The finish is glossy. Flesh texture is moderately fine, juicy, and buttery. Flesh color is creamy white. Small grit cells occur primarily around the core and under the skin, similar to Bartlett but with overall grit content and size less than Bartlett. Harvest maturity has been estimated to occur about 3 weeks after Bartlett. In air storage at –1 °C, fruit will store for as long as 111 days without superficial scald or internal breakdown. When harvested firm but optimally mature, the fruit will ripen without post harvest chilling. The flavor is sweet and aromatic.
Full-bloom is midseason, similar to Bartlett. Cropping has been moderately precocious with first fruit set 3 years after planting. Yield in the fourth year of growth after planting have been moderately high and greater than Bartlett. 136.7 kg for Shenandoah versus 59.8 kg for Bartlett.
Plant Characteristics
Pest Resistance Good
Disease Resistance Poor
Heat Tolerance Good
Humidity Tolerance Good
Sun Tolerance Good
Wet Soil Tolerance Poor
Shade Tolerance Fair
No Spray Good
Salt Tolerance Fair
Fresh for Kids Very Good
Deer Resistance Poor
Thorns No
Plant Type Tree
Soil Type Adaptable
Self Fertile No"
They seem to be doing fine here so far.
“This sumptuous pear is not only sweet and juicy but it’s the 3rd fire blight-resistant pear developed by Agricultural Research Service horticulturist, Richard Bell. This large, Bartlett type pear has a sub-acid pear flavor with excellent storage life. Shenandoah stores very well without breaking down for up to five months. Ripens in September. Best pollinators: Bartlett, Anjou or Comice.” Moonglow and collette also work as pollinators. I planted moonglow nearby. I’m not a huge fan of moonglow so i only added about 10 trees. I added 3 rows of Shenandoah which i hope are all they are supposed to be.
"This is a reliable, easily managed modern pear. The tree is vigorous, upright-spreading, and precocious (setting fruit at three years on seedling stock). Shenandoah has fireblight resistance that is significantly improved over that of Bartlett. Detailed fertility data is not yet available, but we recommend that all European pears be grown with pollenizers.
Shenandoah is a luscious new pear that will appeal to consumers who enjoy rich-tasting fruit. Its higher-than-average acidity gives it a snappy flavor that mellows nicely in storage. Sweet, aromatic, and juicy, Shenandoah is a large pear that boasts an appealing taste and texture, and it stores well, if properly chilled, for about four months. Shenandoah matures in September, about four weeks after Bartlett. This cultivar does not suffer from superficial scald or core breakdown in storage. The reliable cropping of the tree also makes it a great wildlife selection.
The third fireblight-resistant pear developed by Agricultural Research Service horticulturist, Richard Bell, Shenandoah was released in 2003. It was named after the river."
" Shenandoah’ pear (Pyrus communis L.) is a new cultivar that combines spicy aromatic fruit flavor, long storage life, large fruit size, consistent yields, and moderate resistance to fire blight caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora (Burr.) Winsl. et al. (van der Zwet and Beer, 1999). All major cultivars of commercial importance as well as many of those available to home orchardists are susceptible to this devastating disease, which is endemic to most production regions of the northern hemisphere (van der Zwet and Beer, 1999). Long storage life, absence of core breakdown, and resistance to superficial scald are also economically important physiological traits. ‘Shenandoah’ was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and The Ohio State University in 2003 as a fresh market pear for commercial and home orchards.
Origin
‘Shenandoah’ is a seedling of ‘Max Red Bartlett’ and US56112-146 (Fig. 1), the cross made in 1977 by T. van der Zwet and R.C. Blake. The parentage is entirely of P. communis origin, and the original source of resistance is presumed to be the old American cultivar, Seckel, thought to be a parent of ‘Barseck’. The original seedling, designated US78304-057, was selected in 1985 by R.L. Bell at the Appalachian Fruit Research Station (AFRS). The selection was further evaluated in a nonrandomized planting of six trees propagated on ‘Bartlett’ seedling rootstock at AFRS (Bell and van der Zwet, 1993) and in randomized, replicated plantings at AFRS (10 trees) and The Ohio State University—Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH (10 trees), where all trees were propagated on ‘Bartlett’ seedling rootstock. It is also currently being tested by eight cooperators throughout the United States for performance under diverse climatic conditions. It was jointly released as a cultivar in 2003 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and The Ohio State University. Budwood has tested negative for viruses and pear decline phytoplasma at the National Research Support Project No. 5 at Washington State University, Prosser, WA. The cultivar is named for the nearby Shenandoah River.
Fruit are oblong–ovate–pyriform, ovate–pyriform, and obovate–acute–pyriform (Zielinski, 1955), equivalent to the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources shape ratings of 3.2, 5.2, and 5.1, respectively (Thibault et al., 1983; Fig. 2), and moderately large, averaging 72 mm in diameter, 92 in length, and weighing 235 g (Table 1). Skin color at harvest is light green with 10% to 25% red blush. The skin turns yellow–green when ripe (Fig. 2). The finish is glossy. The skin surface is usually smooth but can sometimes be uneven. The cross-sectional contour can vary from symmetrical to ribbed. The cavity is obtuse and occasionally acute. The basin is medium in depth and sloping, and the calyx is persistent and convergent. There is usually some light calyx–end tan russet under conditions at AFRS, and lenticels are slightly conspicuous. The stem is medium to long (≈25 mm), of medium thickness (≈3 mm), upright, and usually curved. Flesh texture is moderately fine, juicy, and buttery. Flesh color is creamy white. Small grit cells occur primarily around the core and under the skin, similar to ‘Bartlett’ but with overall grit content and size less than ‘Bartlett’. Core size is medium (21 mm), similar to ‘Bartlett’. Harvest maturity has been estimated to occur ≈3 weeks after ‘Bartlett’. In air storage at –1 °C, fruit will store for as long as 111 d without superficial scald or internal breakdown. When harvested firm but optimally mature, the fruit will ripen without postharvest chilling, but 10 to 12 d at 20 °C were required to reach flesh firmness acceptable for eating. The mean shelf life (number of days to soften to eating ripeness) varied from 5 to 10 d depending on harvest date. The flavor is sweet and aromatic, but acidity is also high at harvest and during the first 2 months after harvest, thereafter decreasing so that the overall character is subacid.
Table 1.
Fruit descriptive and sensory traits of ‘Shenandoah’ and ‘Bartlett’z.
Trees are moderately vigorous on ‘Bartlett’ seedling rootstock and upright-spreading in growth habit, similar to ‘Conference’. Full-bloom at AFRS is midseason, similar to ‘Bartlett’. Cropping has been moderately precocious with first fruit set 3 years after planting (Table 2). Yield ratings beginning in the fourth year of growth after planting have been moderately high and greater than ‘Bartlett’. In a test planting at AFRS on ‘Bartlett’ seedling rootstock, mean cumulative yield per tree 10 years after planting was 136.7 kg for ‘Shenandoah’ versus 59.8 kg for ‘Bartlett’ (Pr > F = 0.0001). Secondary bloom is rare.
Table 2.
Mean yearly and cumulative yield per tree for ‘Shenandoah’ and ‘Bartlett’z.
Although not immune or highly resistant to fire blight shoot (Table 3) or blossom infections (Table 4), the severity of infections is less severe than those in ‘Bartlett’.
Table 3.
Response to epiphytotic and artificial fire blight infection of shoots of ‘Shenandoah’ and ‘Bartlett’.
Budwood of ‘Shenandoah’ is limited and trees are not available from either the U.S. Department of Agriculture or The Ohio State University. Pathogen-free certified budwood will be available to nurseries and researchers from NRSP No. 5 (http://nrsp5.prosser.wsu.edu). In addition, budwood has been deposited in the National Plant Germplasm System at the National Clonal Germplasm Repository, Corvallis, OR (http://ars-grin.gov/cor), where it will be available for research, including development and commercialization of new cultivars. ‘Shenandoah’ is not patented. However, when this germplasm contributes to the development of a new cultivar, selection, mutant clone, or other germplasm, it is requested that appropriate recognition be given to the source. Limited amounts of noncertified budwood will be available from Richard Leslie Bell.
Literature Cited
Bell, R.L. & van der Zwet, T. 1993 New fire blight resistant advanced selections from the USDA pear breeding program Acta Hort. 338 415 419
Norelli, J.L. , Aldwinckle, H.S. & Beer, S.V. 1988 Virulence of Erwinia amylovora strains to Malus sp. Novole plants grown in vitro and in the greenhouse Phytopathology. 78 1292 1297
van der Zwet, T. & Beer, S.V. 1999 Fire blight—Its nature, prevention, and control: A practical guide to integrated disease management U.S. Department of Agriculture Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 631.
I’m going to mention what few seem to bring up. Pay close attention that everyone says " rich flavor which mellows after harvest" . What that really means i’m told is when it is first picked it is acidic like a lemon, the person actually said battery acid. They also said it is very good later.
As far as pollination goes it is one of the easiest to pollinate because so many types of pear overlap it, but it does need a pollinator. Orange pippin is the best for pollination requirements in my opinion
" Varieties that will pollinate Shenandoah in our catalog
I think it would. Have ordered some before from Gruber but they are not dormant scions. They worked ok for me when i ordered from him in the past but expect your take rate to be slightly lower. If you have the rootstock to spare they will work. I dont have any scions to send you my trees are still small. Basically he pulls the leaves off which does work but wrap them in parafilm and dont order until your ready to graft.
