The cultivation and breeding of sour cherries has a long tradition in Germany. The first breeding activities are associated with the work of M. Schmidt in Müncheberg and M. Zwitzscher in Cologne-Vogelsang. As a result, the cultivars 'Mailot', 'Cerella', 'Nabella', 'Successa', and 'Bonnie' were selected.
In a second breeding program by H. Jacob in Geisenheim, the two cultivars 'Gerema' and 'Geresa' were selected in 1993. In 1965, a third breeding program was started by B. Wolfram in Müncheberg, which was continued in Dresden-Pillnitz from 1971 to 2000. The success of this breeding work is documented by the cultivars 'Karneol', 'Korund', 'Topas', 'Safir', and 'Morina'.
DSince 2001, M. Schuster continued this program. Eight new cultivars have already been released since 2001, 'Jade', Achat', 'Spinell', 'Turmalin', 'Taurus', 'Rubellit', 'Jachim', and 'Boas'. Two new breeding clones are currently in multi-site testing and 87 clones are in stage II evaluation. The main breeding objectives are fruit quality and fertility, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and characteristics for mechanical harvesting of the fruits
Ripening time - JKI sour cherry cultivars in comparison to cultivars 'Ungarische Traubige', 'Morina', and 'Schattenmorelle'.
Mirko Schuster
Institute of Breeding Research on Fruit Crops, Julius Kühn-Institut, Dresden-Pillnitz (DE)
21 May 2025
Northwest USA cherry growers forecast a 2025 harvest of 213,800 tons, exceeding the three-year average. New funding supports trade negotiations, with optimism growing for the Chinese market after a tariff agreement that could ease export restrictions and boost demand.
11 Jun 2024
Michigan State University evaluated dozens of sour cherry crosses for their potential as cherry rootstocks, resulting in the Corette® series of precocious and productive dwarfing to semi-dwarfing rootstocks and several semi-vigorous, less precocious rootstocks.
18 Sep 2026
Canada and the US settle the dispute over Staccato® cherries. Monson Fruit Company will pay past and future royalties, stop propagating new Staccato® trees through 2029 and refrain from exporting fruit outside the US through 2032, ending a six-year long legal battle.
18 Sep 2026
Centro Fruticultura Sur will host a seminar in Chillán, Chile, on protected fruit cultivation, featuring two new publications on covered cherry production and European hazelnut physiology and management, with tools to address climate variability in modern orchards.
