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.
30 Nov 2023
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.
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.
21 Nov 2025
Cracking in sweet cherry fruits poses major challenges for growers. This article explores the physiological causes, effective mitigation strategies, and the most resistant cherry cultivars to improve fruit quality and commercial value in a sustainable way.
21 Nov 2025
Peru is betting on cherries as its next major export crop. After a decade of trials, six Andean regions are testing adaptable varieties. The long-term goal is to enter the Chinese market, currently dominated by Chile, leveraging the new Chancay megaport for faster delivery.
