The systematic Sweet Cherry Breeding in Germany dates to the first work of R. Nebel and C.F. Rudloff in Müncheberg in 1928. After the Second World War, this work was continued by M. Schmidt in Müncheberg until 1955.
In 1953 E.L. Loewel, E.v. Vahl and F.-G. Zahn started a new breeding program in Jork. As a result, the cultivars 'Alma', 'Annabella', 'Bianca', 'Erika', 'Oktavia', 'Regina', 'Valeska', and 'Viola' were selected. From 1985 to 1999 the program was continued by H. Schmidt in Ahrensburg.
A second breeding programme was started in Naumburg by H. Mihatsch and M. Fischer in 1958 and continued in Dresden-Kauscha from 1971 to 1990. The released cultivars from this program are 'Namare', 'Namosa', 'Naprumi', 'Namati', and 'Nadino'. After both breeding programs were terminated, the plant material was transferred to Dresden-Pillnitz, where sweet cherry breeding has been continued by M. Schuster since 2001.
Seven new cultivars have already been released: 'Narana', Swing® 'PiSue 192', 'Habunt', 'Areko', 'Polka', Aria® 'PiSue 161', and 'PiSue 177'. Nineteen new promising breeding clones are currently under multi-site testing and approximately 100 clones are in stage II evaluation. The main breeding objectives are fruit quality, like size, firmness, sugar content, high productivity, self-fertility, and high resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Image 1: Ripening time - JKI sweet cherry cultivars in comparison to cultivars 'Burlat', 'Kordia', and 'Regina'.
Mirko Schuster
Institute for Breeding Research on Fruit Crops, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) – Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, D-01326 Dresden (DE)
04 Jul 2024
'There is such a wide and powerful offer of biological inputs that, in my opinion, there is so much information that one tends to get a bit lost,' says Walter Masman, 'I use them in a complementary way to conventional ones. I am convinced that they generate a positive impact'.
07 May 2024
‘We aim to export around 120,000 tonnes,’ said Hayrettin Ucak, deputy coordinator of the Aegean Exporters' Association. ’We will be able to achieve exports of USD 300 million if an ideal price for producers and exporters is formed on the market.
26 Aug 2026
In Chile, biostimulants based on Macrocystis pyrifera, alone or combined with Pseudomonas koreensis, improve the ‘Colt’ cherry rootstock response to drought and water stress by supporting photosynthetic efficiency, stomatal control, root growth and plant resilience.
26 Aug 2026
In the United States, vacuum microwave drying is emerging as a fast and efficient solution to extend the shelf life of cherries and berries, preserving their quality, color, shape, and nutrients while reducing processing times compared with conventional drying methods.
