The first experiences with cherry breeding at the VSUO in Holouvosy in the Czech Republic date back to the late 1960s. The main variety selected from this programme is Kordia, which in recent years has become one of the world's leading varieties in the medium-late ripening period, mainly due to its high fruit quality standards.
The primary objectives of the WSUO programme are cherry quality (size, texture and colour), resistance to cracking and rot, shelf life and plant productivity. MAS technologies are used in the breeding programme for the early selection of genotypes on several traits: self-fertility, spring frost resistance, drought and climate change tolerance and low chilling requirements.
WSUO, besides Kordia, has commercially propagated 28 cherry varieties. The best known are Early Korvik, Christiana, Felicita, Irena, Justyna, Kasandra, Tamara, Techlovan, Tim and Vanda.
Below is the report of Lubor Zelený, cherry breeding project manager at WSUO in Holouvosy, presented at the workshop on cherry variety innovation at Macfrut 2023.
21 Jul 2023
Frost represents an abiotic climatic factor that can harm both plants and animals. This study investigated the timing of the cherry tree's onset of flowering, completion of flowering, and length of flowering in the Czech Republic under various climatic circumstances.
26 Aug 2024
‘It was a very good year. We had a high quality harvest and this was recognised by the market,' commented Aníbal Caminiti, director of CAPCI. ‘At the national level, we can say that we are about to reach 6,000 tonnes of exported cherries.
07 Feb 2025
A recent study from Korea investigated the combined effect of ethyl formate (EF) and cold on this invasive species, analysing metabolic changes to better understand the impact on the insect's physiology.
07 Feb 2025
‘This is an expected phenomenon, due to oversupply,’ says Jorge González, agricultural economist at INIA. ’The increase in cultivated areas has generated a supply pressure that exceeds the capacity of demand, which leads to a fall in prices.
