‘KOSSARA’ – NEW VERY EARLY SWEET CHERRY

One of the major aims in the breeding programme of the Fruit-Growing Institute in Bulgaria is establishing early ripening, large-fruited cherry cultivars that will contribute to extending the calendar of fruit ripening.
The development and the use of in vitro methods for cultivation of cherry embryos created real conditions for the realization and establishment of F₁ hybrids of early ripening parent combinations.
The cultivar Kossara was obtained from the parent combination ‘Ranna cherna’ x ‘Bigarreau Burlat’ by the method of embryo culture under in vitro conditions.
Fruits ripen very early – 10 days before those of ‘Bigarreau Burlat’. Having in mind the early period of ripening, they are quite large, 22.2 х 24.8 х 21.0 mm in size and 7.8 g in weight.
Fruit shape is cordate, the fruit skin is dark red, and the flesh is red, juicy, having a pleasant sweet-sour taste.
The stone comprises 4.5% of the total fruit weight.
The tree is medium in growth; it is very fertile and displays good compatibility with the rootstocks Gizela-5, P. mahaleb and P. avium. ‘Rivan’, ‘Nalina’, and ‘Bugarreau Burlat’ are good pollinators for ‘Kossara’.

XII EUCARPIA Symposium on Fruit Breeding and Genetics

A. Zhivondov, P. Gercheva

Prunus avium, breeding, new cultivar, early ripening

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.814.58