Significant investment to revive the cultivation of Croatian marasca cherries

Specialties

16 Sep 2026

Zadar County is preparing a €250,000 programme to expand Marasca cherry orchards in Dalmatia, supporting new plantings, irrigation and soil preparation, with funding distributed through towns and municipalities between 2027 and 2029 to support local growers in Dalmatia.

Wild cherry tree rings tell the story of climate

Tech management

16 Sep 2026

A study in Western Poland examines how wild cherry (Prunus avium) responds to temperature and rainfall. Tree-ring growth highlights the species’ potential for dendrochronology, dendroclimatology and climate research, while showing marked differences among local sites.

Australian cherry volumes are expected to fall by 15%

Production

15 Sep 2026

Australian cherry production is forecast to fall 15% in 2026/27, to 17,000 metric tons after a winter with fewer chill hours. Exports are expected at 4,000 MT, while dry conditions and high irrigation costs could add pressure for growers in Victoria and New South Wales.

A laboratory leaf disc assay to predict sweet cherry susceptibility to bacterial canker

Crop protection

15 Sep 2026

A three-year survey of 222 orchards in O’Higgins, Chile, validates a rapid Leaf Disc Assay to identify sweet cherry cultivars with lower susceptibility to bacterial canker caused by Pseudomonas syringae, supporting faster and more sustainable breeding decisions today.

A new discovery from the University of Chile for controlling grey mould in cherries

Crop protection

15 Sep 2026

Una ricerca dell’Università del Cile ha individuato una cepa di Streptomyces del Deserto e della Fossa di Atacama capace di contrastare Botrytis cinerea. Il progetto FONDEF con AgroFresh entra oggi nei test su frutta e rivestimenti commestibili post-raccolta per export.

Jerte Valley: biotechnology driving innovation in cherry varieties

Breeding

14 Sep 2026

In Spain’s Jerte Valley, genomic selection is speeding up cherry breeding: Cicytex and Agrupación de Cooperativas Valle del Jerte will work through 2030 on 1,000 trees and around 110 varieties to identify fruit quality, ripening and market suitability earlier using DNA.

Rules to follow in cherry orchards during the flowering and fruit-setting stages

Tech management

14 Sep 2026

Effective cherry blossom management improves pollination, fruit set and size. From beehives, Bombus colonies and pollen to auxin, cytokinin and fungicide applications, these key strategies help support yield, fruit quality and crop health throughout flowering season.

Measuring rather than estimating: what artificial intelligence can and cannot do in the cherry sector

Tech management

11 Sep 2026

Artificial intelligence is transforming fruit growing in Chile: computer vision, machine learning and data help measure quality, yields and waste, reduce errors and improve decisions from the orchard to packing lines and export markets, including cherries and other fruit crops.

First report of pomes virus Greece in Italian sweet cherry

Crop protection

11 Sep 2026

In Apulia, HTS identified Pomes virus Greece (PVGR) in sweet cherry for the first time in Italy. The virus was detected in 8.7% of the samples analysed, while one case of Cherry green ring mottle virus also marks the first regional report of CGRMV in southern Italy.

The role of endogenous hormones in regulating early fruit development in stone fruits

Tech management

10 Sep 2026

In stone fruit, auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins and ABA regulate fruit set, cell division and early fruit growth. The Prunus review explains how hormonal balance influences yield, fruit size, early fruit drop and harvest quality, highlighting its value for orchards.

Focus On

Cherry Times welcomes Jesús Alonso as a member of the technical scientific committee

Post-harvest​

08 Apr 2025

Dr. Jesús Alonso, postharvest scientist at CSIC, joins the Cherry Times technical scientific commitee. With deep expertise in cherry quality, storage technologies, and sustainable solutions, he supports innovation and technical development across the entire cherry supply chain.

Varietal innovation, patents and brand strategies, the winning trio for the modern cherry industry

Varieties

30 Jan 2025

For an in-depth look at the topics of varietal innovation and modern commercial development strategies for new cherry varieties, Stefano Lugli of Cherry Times interviewed James Calissi, owner of Calissi Farm, a company specialising in nursery and management of new varieties.

All the best of Cherry Times: highlights of 2024

Events

31 Dec 2024

The numbers speak for themselves: thanks to your interest, our analyses and in-depth articles have achieved extraordinary results. This article is dedicated to the content you loved the most: from the most thorough analyses to thematic insights.

CS Laimburg: the new cherry orchards will be 2D systems and mechanised

Events

24 Jun 2024

On Thursday, 20 June, a training meeting was held for farmers and technicians during which experts from CS Laimburg presented the results of the latest ongoing trials focusing on planting systems and techniques for managing cerasites.

Costs and profitability of cherry growing at different planting densities

Tech management

11 Jun 2024

The study compared 3 Grace Star plants with increasing density (low, medium and high), without cover, between the provinces of Modena and Forlì-Cesena. As the data show, the cherry tree in Emilia-Romagna is still a profitable investment.

Problems and prospects for cherry growing in northern Italy: -15% of production in 15 years

Quality

15 May 2024

Italy continues to lose positions in the ranking of the largest cherry producers in the world. Currently, the beautiful country is in seventh place, surpassed by Spain and chased by Greece. In just three five-year periods, national production has dropped by 15%.

How to produce quality cherries? The answer from the International Congress at Macfrut 2024

Quality

14 May 2024

Biosolutions can become a fundamental "pivot" for setting innovative technical lines worldwide. May 9th within Macfrut 2024 the International Congress titled: "Which biosolutions for quality cherries?" took place. Summaries of the presentations will be published on Cherry Times.

Growth in world trade over the last ten years shows over 900,000 tonnes and +266% growth

Markets

24 Apr 2024

From 2013 to 2022, world production increased from 2.3 to 2.75 million tonnes, while trade flows rose from 350,000 to 940,000 tonnes, an increase of 266%. The value of traded goods reached a record 4.3 billion euro.

The evolution of cherry production over the last 15 years

Production

15 Apr 2024

World supply rose from 1.85 to 2.75 million tonnes from 2008 to 2022, an increase of about 50%. The geography of world supply has not changed substantially over the past 15 years, although a concentration in a few countries can be observed.

Companies

Valente Pali: support and protection to guarantee a generous, high-quality harvest

Covers

07 Nov 2025

ValenteProtect© systems provide protection from rain, hail and insects, helping cherry growers secure abundant, healthy and market-ready harvests. Rain, Multishield and Insect Net systems ensure complete seasonal protection for top-quality yields.

Meda™: new early and intermediate cherry varieties in Europe

Varieties

04 Feb 2025

Meda™ varieties have been evaluated in Europe for three seasons now. All have been selected with a minimum of 35-40 days post-harvest. Meda™'s is the only breeding programme that has used postharvest as a selection filter.

Salvi Vivai: new intensive cherry orchards with excellent production

Varieties

02 Oct 2024

Significant data have been obtained in intensive French cherry orchards using cherry trees produced by Salvi Vivai (some of them from the Sweet series and the Marysa variety, all coming from the research program of University of Bologna).

Giacovelli: new varieties and zero residue cherries

Markets Production

27 Apr 2023

With a turnover of over 60 million euro, Giacovelli srl is one of the leading producers and marketers of fruit and vegetables in Apulia. Its passion and specialisation for cherries makes it one of Italy's leading producers of the red summer fruit.