Our Variety Assessment

Its strengths, growing requirements and the conditions in which it performs best.

Kosui is one of the nashis I would choose primarily for eating quality. The flesh is exceptionally juicy and sweet with very little acidity, and it ripens early enough to open the main Asian pear season. Its weakness is disease susceptibility, particularly in wetter conditions.

Kosui

Price range: 26,50 € through 59,75 €

One of Japan’s classic nashi cultivars, producing golden-russeted fruit with exceptionally juicy, tender flesh, high sugar and very little acidity.

Choose your tree form

1 year old grafted tree – approx. 1–2 m

Half-standard – 1 to 1.5 m stem

Standard tree – 1.8 m stem and over

Pear rootstock options

Calleryana - approx. 5m mature height

Farold 87 - approx 4.5m mature height

Kirchensaller – approx. 6 m mature height

Pyrodwarf – approx. 4 m mature height

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SKU: 30359 Category: Asian pear trees

Description

Asian Pear ‘Kosui’ is a Japanese cultivar of Pyrus pyrifolia, raised from the cross ‘Kikusui’ × ‘Wasekozo’. The cross was made in 1941 and the cultivar was officially recognised in Japan in 1959.

The fruit is medium-sized, slightly flattened and golden yellow to tan with partial russeting. The white flesh is fine, tender and extremely juicy, with a high sugar level and very little acidity. Its excellent eating quality made ‘Kosui’ one of the major Japanese pear cultivars.

In Japan the main harvest falls in the middle to second half of August, while timing can be somewhat later in cooler climates. Fruit can be stored for around two months under suitable refrigerated conditions.

The tree has moderate to strong vigour. ‘Kosui’ is self-incompatible and needs a compatible pollinizer. ‘Hosui’, ‘Chojuro’ and ‘Nijisseiki’ are commonly compatible, while ‘Shinsui’ is incompatible. Kosui itself produces abundant pollen and is regarded as a valuable pollinizer for many other Japanese pears.

The variety is susceptible to fire blight and pear blast, so it benefits from good orchard hygiene and an open, well-aerated canopy.

Variety characteristics

Variety origin

Japanese cultivar from a Kikusui × Wasekozo cross made in 1941 and officially recognised as Nashi Norin No. 3 in 1959.

Origin

Period of origin

USDA zone

Flowering

Harvest period

Eating / keeping period

Use

Sweetness / acidity

Disease resistance

Self-fertility

Pollinator value

Ploidy

Origin and identity

Parentage

Kikusui x Wasekozo

Synonyms

Kousui|Kohsui

Growth and adaptation

Vigour and habit

Moderate to strong vigour, with relatively limited spur formation on young trees. Produces abundant pollen and is a valuable pollinizer for many Japanese pears.