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.
06 Dec 2023
The latest releases are ʿPapillon®ʾ, a bicolor cherry that tastes sweet, ripens 3 weeks after ʿBurlatʾ and ʿKira®ʾ, an early-mid-season large, shiny, firm cherry, both are distributed by Artevos who supports the breeding program.
12 Jul 2024
"Protecting plants is very important. That's why we wanted to try the Protecta® net," say Michele and his father Giuseppe De Tomaso, of the De Tomaso farm in Polignano a Mare, Bari (IT), experimenting on 100 square metres with the Arrigoni Spa dense-meshed net.
03 Feb 2026
Which rootstocks to choose for cherry trees in dry climates? A study in Hungary compares MaxMa 14, GiSelA 6, and WeiGi 2, showing key differences in water stress response. Learn which rootstock ensures sustainable cherry growing under water-limited conditions.
03 Feb 2026
Post-harvest cherry management in Chile is key to next season’s fruit quality. Irrigation, organic nutrition, soil microbes and integrated systems are transforming orchards with regenerative agriculture to ensure productivity and sustainability.
