To document the development of new "CITH" varieties, ICAR- Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture Kashmir (India) initiated a rigorous investigation starting in 1996 under the Project "Survey, Collection, Characterization, and Documentation of Temperate Fruit Crops".
The institute has identified and collected variability from the century-old varieties Biggareau Napoleon, Bigarreau Noir Grossa, Guigne Noir Hative, etc. Currently, the institute has a germplasm bank with 30 genotypes of sweet and sour cherries.
Of these, four promising genotypes have been identified, namely, CITH-Cherry-03, CITH-Cherry-05, CITH-Cherry-07, and CITH-Cherry-09. The CITH-Sweet cherry clones, selected from the Double and Misri varieties, bear larger fruits and are attractive in shape and color with a high total soluble solids content and pulp/stone ratio. The new varieties are of good quality with high fruit set (50-80%) under normal conditions.
For more information on CITH varieties, download the PDF here
16 May 2023
As part of the European Breeding Value project, CNR-IBE conducted a multilingual survey of over 900 European consumers to understand their liking of the fruit. The cherry achieved excellent results and was confirmed as one of the most popular fruits.
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Chilean agronomist Jorge Astudillo Galvez visited the farms of 15 producers in Mendoza to analyse production conditions and give technical advice, with the aim of providing a diagnosis on how to improve local production to reach new markets.
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Cherry Times Magazine 2026 explores innovation, sustainability and cherry markets in its fourth edition. Presented at Fruit Attraction in Madrid, it looks ahead to Fruit Logistica 2027 in Berlin, examining the challenges and future of cherry production around the world.
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A study in a commercial cherry orchard in Turkey shows that variable-rate irrigation, supported by satellite imagery and soil moisture monitoring, can cut irrigation water use by up to 49% while maintaining marketable yields and fruit quality, even in very hot weather.
