The future of late cherries in Europe could be enriched by new, unexpected players.
On July 17–18, 2025, as part of the Gira de Variedades Tardías de Cerezo, ANA Chile® — exclusive licensee of the LFP Program in Chile — carried out a technical tour in Germany, visiting commercial orchards, trial fields, and specialized nurseries.
The goal: to evaluate in the field the performance of the new late varieties developed by the program, identifying those with the most promising potential for the Chilean and European markets.
Kir Vulcano® – Extremely late blooming and harvested around Lapins timing. Stands out for its large size (30–32 mm), firm flesh, excellent sweetness (22–23 °Brix), and remarkable cracking resistance, comparable to Regina.
Harvesting is made easier thanks to the long stem and clean fruit separation.
Kir Lamour® – Self-fertile and harvested around the same time as Sweet Heart. Offers an intense flavor (23 °Brix) and high yields, provided proper crop load management is applied.
It is better suited to areas with low rainfall, given its higher sensitivity to cracking.
Kir Rosso® – Among the most productive varieties of the entire program, self-fertile, ripening about two weeks after Staccato.
Maintains a uniform size even with heavy crop loads, ensuring good firmness and balanced sweetness (20.5 °Brix). Very low sensitivity to cracking.
Kir Rio® – Self-fertile, with cracking resistance greater than Regina and low susceptibility to Pseudomonas.
Fruit with thick skin, good firmness, and harvested two weeks after Regina: a strategic choice to extend the export window.
Alongside the red varieties, the LFP Program is also working on bicolor selections.
Two in particular have drawn attention for their quality and ripening period: one harvested at the same time as Staccato, the other a week later.
Both have shown low incidence of bruising damage, even in challenging climatic conditions, making them ideal for markets demanding premium bicolor cherries.
Thanks to these new late varieties — both red and bicolor — ANA Chile® and the LFP Program aim to extend the harvest calendar and enhance competitiveness in international markets.
Higher quality, greater resilience, and an extended commercial window: a strategy that promises to inject new energy into cherry exports.
Source: anachile.cl
Image source: Graeb
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