ADVANCED SWEET CHERRY SELECTIONS AVAILABLE FOR EVALUATION FROM THE AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD CANADA BREEDING PROGRAM

The sweet cherry breeding program at Summerland has been actively making crosses since 1936. The current objectives of the breeding program are 1) diversification of the „product;“ 2) environmental adaptation; and 3) reduction of the cost of production for the growers.
A number of cultivars have been recently named and introduced to the industry. Presently, there are 21 advanced selections available for evaluation. Of the 21 selections, 16 have either red or dark red skin colour when mature and five have blushed skin and a cream or yellow flesh colour. They span a maturity period from six days before ‘Van’ to 24 days after ‘Van’. All selections have large fruit with average fruit weight greater than 10 g.
Most of the selections have good fruit firmness with some having exceptional firmness.
Tolerance to rain-induced cracking is the most variable trait of the selections.

Eucarpia symposium on Fruit Breeding and Genetics

F. Kappel, R. MacDonald

Prunus avium, fruit breeding, fruit size, fruit firmness, rain-induced cracking

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2000.538.135