"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.
19 Mar 2024
A study was conducted in Ukraine to determine the impact of different pruning techniques and conditions on young cherry trees. The varieties used were 'Krupnoplidna' and 'Melitopolska Chorna', both grafted onto Colt rootstock.
26 Jan 2024
In addition to phytosanitary treatments, kaolin and covering the inter-row with Extenday sheets throughout the season as vector control strategies to cover weeds, which are very important for the insect's life cycle, were evaluated.
27 Feb 2026
The U.S. tart cherry industry unveils True Tart™, a certification mark highlighting authentic U.S.-grown Montmorency cherries. The goal is to stand out from imports, boost grower returns and strengthen demand through marketing, research and targeted communication.
27 Feb 2026
CITA conducted a field trial in Aragon, Spain, evaluating assisted cherry pollination using external pollen supplied by Zimex. The study assessed fruit set, pollen vitality and fertility in Albalate de Cinca highlighting yield performance, fruit quality and cold chain management.
