"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.
01 Aug 2023
When you have a strong passion for your work sometimes a little effort is enough to achieve great results. Cherry Times is pleased to publish Stefano Lugli's interview with Luis Lasarte, Catania's dad.
20 Jan 2025
The objectives of the study was to phenotype a segregating population of sweet cherries for selected key traits of the Zipper model and for their susceptibility to cracking, for which the QTLs for cracking susceptibility were established earlier.
03 Aug 2026
Chile’s cherry industry is entering a new phase focused on value. Scientific research, measurable quality, new varieties and advanced logistics will be essential to boost demand, reduce dependence on China and protect Chile’s leadership in competitive global markets.
03 Aug 2026
The Bing cherry, a symbol of Oregon and Washington State, was named after Ah Bing, a 19th-century Chinese orchard worker in Oregon, USA. A new picture book tells his story through agriculture, immigration, discrimination and an American folk legend rooted in history.
