‘Okolo’ ('Asian pear type')(also known as 'PI 541908')
Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:17 am
‘Okolo’ (Russian for 'round') (it's pear fruit is the 'Asian pear type')(This cultivar is also known as 'PI 541908').
The quality of it's fruit is '7 out of 9'.
The diameter of it's firm round fruit is smallish at about 2 1/4 inches. It's fruit flesh is 'cream colored, very sweet, crispy, juicy, and aromatic'. It's flesh tastes 'somewhat similar' to the cultivar 'Shin Li, and to the cultivar 'Jilin'. The fruit of 'Okolo' has a Brix of about 21°, it has a PH of about 3.3. It's moderately tannic like a moderately bitter and moderately astringent wine. The fruit of this pear is even more course than the fruit of ‘Korean Giant’. The stems of this cultivars delicious fruit are long and thick. The texture of it's flesh is a '5 out of 9'. 'Okolo' is very productive. It starts to crop about September 26th. It's fruit does not store well.
"Okolo is a very nice pear, typical asian crunchiness" - Walden Heights Nursery & Orchard (Walden Heights Nursery & Orchard grows it in Walden, VT)
Number of grit stone cells is 2 out of 9, size of grit stone cells are small, it's fruit does not russet, it's fruit does not oxidize after cut, the peel's background color is 'yellow', fruit skin lenticels quantity '7 out of 9', fruit skin lenticel size '3 out of 9', highly 'Core Breakdown resistant',
It's bloom Density is a '3 to 5 out of 9'. This cultivar has a strong resistance to 'leaf scab disease', a strong resistance to 'rust disease', a strong resistance to 'blister mites', a strong resistance to 'pseudomonas', a moderate resistance to 'Fabraea Leafspot Disease', damage caused by fruit scab '1 to 4 out of 9'. A fire-blight tolerant Asian pear cultivar, when it does get fire-blight only the new growth gets killed by the fire-blight. The fire-blight does not spread to the older/thicker branches.
'Okolo' is an open-pollinated seedling of 'Pyrus ussuriensis', which originated from Brookings, South Dakota, it was introduced by 'N.E. Hansen', of the 'South Dakota Agriculture Experiment Station', it was introduced on June 1st 1940 with the suggestion that it be grown in the Northwestern USA.
Good for USDA Hardiness zones: 4a-9. It's a cold hardy cultivar of 'Pyrus ussuriensis ovoidea'.