In 2024, cherry production faced numerous challenges due to climate conditions, that affected both the amount and the quality of the harvest. Late frosts, heavy rains, and other weather-related events put significant pressure on growers, drastically reducing production in some cases. Despite these challenges, the demand for cherries remained high, with prices rising especially for premium-quality fruit.
In this complex scenario, UNITEC technologies have provided a decisive solution for the industry. Advanced systems like Cherry Vision 3.0 and 3.5 AI have revolutionized the way cherries are selected and sorted. Thanks to the use of artificial intelligence, these technologies allow to detect external defects with extreme precision, such as imperfections in the skin or variations in color and shape, ensuring that only high-quality fruit is delivered to the market.
Additionally, with the use of cutting-edge sensors, UNITEC’s sorting systems can also analyze the internal parameters of cherries, thus maximizing the value of every single fruit. Indeed, with UNIQ Cherry, it is possible to detect ripeness and firmness, further enhancing the effectiveness of the sorting process.
These innovative solutions enable fruit packing houses to significantly boost operational margins, drastically reduce labor costs, and entering new markets by offering consistent quality to their Customers—a key factor in building trust between the parties.
Thanks to these advanced technologies, all developed in-house by UNITEC’s R&D department at their headquarters in Italy, producers are better equipped to handle climate challenges while maintaining a high level of competitiveness. They can bring guaranteed quality cherries to market, even under adverse weather conditions.
16 May 2023
The clones of the GiSelA® series are the most widely used rootstocks in cherry cultivation in temperate climates. The GiSelA®s were obtained from a genetic improvement programme carried out at the University of Giessen, Germany.
18 Jul 2025
A study in Belgium’s cherry orchards assessed wild pollinator diversity using pan-traps and netting methods. Each technique captured different insect groups, showing that combining both provides complete data for monitoring biodiversity and planning effective conservation actions
05 Jan 2026
On 24 December, a local fruit grower explained that this year the trees were subjected to forced dormancy and heating earlier than usual, resulting in the cherries ripening about 10 days earlier than in previous years.
02 Jan 2026
Chile, the world’s top exporter of fresh cherries, is tackling the growing threat of Drosophila suzukii through an advanced strategy that includes the Sterile Insect Technique and a cross-border partnership with Argentina to safeguard fruit quality and global market access.
