Stefano Lugli - SL Fruit Service (IT)
Chair of Cherry Times technical-scientific committee
The cultivar (cv) Royal Helen* produced by a young producer from the province of Modena (IT) was awarded the title of 'Most Beautiful Cherry in Italy' 2023. Congratulations to Riccardo Bergonzini. The jury of the competition that rewards Italian excellence every year during an initiative now in its XXIV edition, supported by teams of renowned chefs and qualified experts of this fruit of paradise, decreed the Californian maiden as the most charming of cherries, but not the tastiest.
IMAGE 1: Classification of the national 'Cherries of Italy' competition 2023
The fine palates of the commission decided that the award for the best cherry should go to an elderly lady from Campania, now at the end of her career, the variety Spernocchia.
IMAGE 2: Spernocchia
Old hen makes good stock? Wisdom comes with age? It depends on the point of view. I share a thought by Oscar Whild that seems pertinent: With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.
Royal Helen's value
IMAGE 3: Royal Helen*
A pragmatic view, supported by experimental experience and direct observations in orchards, leads us to say that Royal Helen* should rightfully be included in the top ten of the new late season cherry varieties. For these three reasons: high aesthetic standards, excellent cherry quality and high production performance.
IMAGE 4: Main features of Royal Helen*
The varieties of the Royal® series, the Californian cherries of Zaiger Genetics, were presented to the general public four years ago at the International Cherry Symposium in Vignola (IT). Among them is the cultivar Royal Helen*.
Links for further information:
26 Feb 2024
Up to the sixth week, 82,452,392 five-kilo cases of cherries were exported in the 2023/2024 season, and although this figure is lower than the 83,220,842 cases exported in the 2022/2023 season, the figures are predictable after a difficult year for producers.
16 Sep 2024
In the 2023/24 marketing year, the area planted with fresh cherries in Japan slightly decreased to 4,200 hectares (ha) compared to 4,230 ha in MY 2022/23. FAS/Tokyo predicts that this trend will continue in MY 2024/25, with the planted area expected to reach 4,160 hectares.
28 Oct 2025
Argentina’s 2025/26 cherry season begins with mixed signals. Capci warns of early fruit drop affecting export volumes. Despite good fruit quality, unstable weather and production issues may impact international shipments, pushing forecasts toward stability or slight decline.
28 Oct 2025
A new micropropagation protocol for Gisela 17 rootstock was developed in Aurangabad, India. The study achieved excellent results in asepsis, rooting and shoot proliferation, paving the way for healthy cherry stock production and modern nursery propagation techniques.
