"The super millionaire fruits of the Alma Mater": this is how Corriere della Sera headlined years ago when announcing the results obtained by researchers from the Department of Agri-food Sciences and Technologies of the University of Bologna on the cherry tree genetic improvement project: the seven Sweet® sisters, the new varieties named after the children or loved ones of their inventors.
A team led by Stefano Lugli who, starting from old indigenous varieties, the famous Duroni di Vignola, bearers of valuable traits such as sweetness, texture and aroma, has been able to combine these virtues with others, such as beauty, size and productivity, taking them from varieties of American origin.
Below, the report by Bettina Riedel, variety manager of UNIBO, presented at the seminar on cherry variety innovation at Macfrut 2023. Precisely at Macfrut, ten years ago, the Sweet® varieties made their debut winning, among others, the Oscar prize for innovation.
11 Nov 2024
Pathogenicity tests showed that all isolated species could cause fruit infections, though with varying levels of aggressiveness. Among them, Diaporthe eres displayed the highest virulence followed by Fusarium incarnatum and Botryosphaeria dothidea.
17 Jun 2024
In situ measurements were conducted in a sweet cherry orchard at the IONIA Sweet Cherry Farm, Ficksburg, South Africa. The study estimated evapotranspiration by combining a simple surface energy balance model with remote sensing data.
16 Sep 2025
Chilean agronomist Sebastián Tapia will speak at the VI Huacho Symposium. His focus on cherries highlights water management, early pruning, and rootstock choice as essential tools to achieve premium fruit quality, even in regions facing shorter or milder winter conditions.
16 Sep 2025
The 2025 US cherry season ended with shipments to China at 65% of 2024 levels. Despite tariffs, lychees and Canadian cherries, demand for premium varieties stayed strong. Quality, pricing and logistics remain the main challenges as the industry seeks diversification.
