Description
20th Century is the pear most people picture when they think of an Asian pear. The skin is smooth yellow, the flesh is crisp and juicy, and the flavor is sweet, mild and easy to like.
It became a world standard for a reason. The fruit is excellent straight off the tree and stores remarkably well once picked, so a good crop can keep supplying crisp pears long after harvest.
The biggest improvement you can make is also one of the simplest: thin it. Asian pears naturally set far more fruit than they should carry, and removing the extras a few weeks after bloom gives the remaining pears room to become substantially larger.
Overview
- 🌿 Also known as Nijisseiki and Twentieth Century.
- 🌿 Smooth yellow skin with crisp, juicy white flesh.
- 🌿 Sweet, mild flavor.
- 🌿 One of the most popular Asian pear varieties worldwide.
- 🌿 Fruit can store for about five months under good conditions.
- 🌿 Heavy-bearing tree that responds strongly to fruit thinning.
Growing Details
Latin Name: Pyrus pyrifolia ‘Nijisseiki’
Site and Soil: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
Chill Requirement: Approximately 300-400 hours
Size at Maturity: Medium, spreading; maintainable around 12-15 ft with pruning
Pollination: Best with another compatible Asian pear such as Chojuro or Shinseiki
Ripening Time: Midseason; late summer into early fall depending on climate
Storage: Up to about five months under good cold storage
Propagation: Grafted onto pear rootstock
Additional Notes
- 🌿 Grower’s Insight: Thin this pear. Leaving one fruit per cluster gives you bigger, better pears and protects the fruiting spurs that will carry next year’s crop.
- 🌿 Regional Insight: Asian pears ripen on the tree rather than on the counter. In cooler regions the calendar moves later, so use taste and the lift-and-twist test instead of picking by somebody else’s date.
- 🌿 Explore more pear trees in our collection: Pear Trees
