"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 Feb 2025
The reaction on Chinese social media was immediate: many users shared images and enthusiastic comments, celebrating the ability to buy the fruit without having to calculate their budget. The term "cherry freedom" has gone viral.
05 Feb 2025
Chile has almost doubled its cherry exports to India in the 2024/25 season. With the recent arrival of several sea containers, the export volume increased from 367 tons in 2023/24 to 708 tons in 2024/25, according to the Chilean Cherry Committee of Frutas de Chile.
15 Jul 2025
The 2025 cherry season in the US Northwest brings excellent quality and large fruit sizes. Superfresh Growers leads exports to Asia and Oceania, India shows growing demand, while shipments to China decline due to trade tariffs and restrictions.
15 Jul 2025
A study conducted in China and the USA reveals that phenylactic acid (PLA) improves sweet cherry storage by extending freshness, aroma and nutritional quality. The optimal 8 mmol·L-1 concentration delivers strong results without damaging the fruit’s appearance.
