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Sweet cherries in South Tyrol: The choice of varieties as the basis for quality production

In order to raise their profile in comparison with other cherry cultivation areas in Italy, South Tyrolean cherry growers are striving to provide the market with especially high-quality fruits. This can be achieved only by means of modern cultivation systems and very high-quality varieties. The particular topographical and climatic conditions prevailing in South Tyrol allow growers to naturally delay ripening of the fruit. In this way, South Tyrol is able to market its fruits later and thus “evade” competitors from the early-growing Italian cultivation areas in Apulia, Campania, Veneto, and Emilia Romagna. In doing this, a special cultivation and marketing strategy is pursued: The choice of varieties is limited to Kordia and Regina, and cultivation is distributed over tiered levels at different altitudes up to 1,300 meters above sea-level. This results in a six-week harvesting window, and the product can be offered in a consistently excellent quality.

Problems in cultivating the varieties of Kordia and Regina

Despite the high quality standards of both varieties, certain weaknesses must still be reckoned with during cultivation: The pronounced sensitivity to late frost of Kordia and the early fall of the fruit of Regina can lead to considerable decreases in yield and thus impact profitability. The choice of pollinators is also not unproblematic; this is because the recommended pollinators (e.g., Carmen, Schneiders, and Durone 3) display only very modest quality characteristics.

Evaluating varieties at the Fragsburg site

To highlight ways in which these special quality requirements can be met, in 2016, Laimburg Research Centre established a selection of cherry varieties at the Fragsburg site (700 meters above sea-level). Today, this variety collection encompasses almost 70 different accessions and varieties of national and international origin. The varieties are evaluated with respect to parameters such as time-to-harvest (number of years before full harvesting is possible), growth characteristics (habitus), and fruit characteristics (fruit size, shape, length of stem, firmness, taste). Furthermore, for some varieties, the tendency to redden, to age (premature aging of the shoots), and their susceptibility to late frost is evaluated.

Results of the variety evaluation

A few interesting cultivars in the segment of medium-late ripening varieties which have a quick time-to-harvest are described below. Kordia quickly enters the generative phase and displays a good fruit size and a quick time-to-harvest. But with regard to fruit firmness, in 2019-2020, Kordia was topped by Penny, Areko, Henriette, Tamara, and Regina (Fig. 1). The numerous late frosts in 2020 made it possible to tentatively classify the varieties with respect to their frost tolerance (Fig. 2): In this hierarchy, Kordia was the poorest performer; Penny, Irena, and Henriette displayed significantly more frost resistance. The heterogeneous ripening behavior of Tamara is noteworthy, as are the quick time-to-harvest and considerable fruit size of Henriette: In the fourth year of planting, it already displayed larger fruits than other varieties that were a year older (Fig. 3).

Conclusions Despite the intense breeding work, it is hardly possible to top Kordia with respect to yield and fruit quality. However, due to climate change, the weaknesses of this variety in terms of its sensitivity to late frost are very pronounced....

Conclusions

Despite the intense breeding work, it is hardly possible to top Kordia with respect to yield and fruit quality. However, due to climate change, the weaknesses of this variety in terms of its sensitivity to late frost are very pronounced. The variety Penny may represent an alternative for self-marketing farmers: It ripens three days after Regina and displays an astoundingly long harvest window. Furthermore, it embodies excellent fruit characteristics such as firmness and taste. Henriette and Areko were shown to be further candidates for supplementing the range of South Tyrolean cherry varieties: They blossom at the same time as the main varieties Kordia and Regina and also display an optimal allele compatibility. Furthermore, their high-quality characteristics, attractive fruits, and late ripening time represent major improvements over the pollinators currently in use.

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