"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.
16 May 2023
The clones of the GiSelA® series are the most widely used rootstocks in cherry cultivation in temperate climates. The GiSelA®s were obtained from a genetic improvement programme carried out at the University of Giessen, Germany.
05 Sep 2024
A study conducted near the city of Ficksburg, South Africa, from September 2017 to December 2018 highlighted the sweet cherry tree's sensitivity to soil moisture levels, especially during critical growth stages, where water stress can significantly impact the yield.
08 Jan 2026
Essential post-harvest practices to increase cherry orchard yield in Chile. Learn how irrigation, nutrition and pest control help optimize plant recovery, build reserves, and ensure a productive flowering and fruiting season under Chile’s changing climate conditions.
08 Jan 2026
A genomic study identified 235 UGT genes in sweet cherry, revealing the key role of PavUGT10 in waterlogging tolerance. The gene boosts plant survival by enhancing antioxidant responses and reducing oxidative stress damage in flooded conditions.
