"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.
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The CPVR (Community Plant Variety Rights) system, administered by the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO), grants exclusive rights to breeders, encouraging them to invest in the development of new varieties, ultimately benefiting consumers.
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In the Andean-Patagonian temperate forest, alien species recruitment depends on predation, frugivory, seedling survival and functional traits. Seed size emerges as the key factor, with Prunus cerasus showing the highest invasive potential among the species studied in Patagonia.
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Washington State University is tracing breeder Thomas Toyama’s genetic legacy to develop larger, earlier and more resilient cherries. Historic WSU records are now helping researchers identify valuable traits and strengthen modern sweet cherry breeding programs worldwide.
