"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.
07 Jul 2023
Foliar applications of calcium salts (Ca) appear to reduce cracking, but the results available to date are still uncertain. First, the effects of Ca have been attributed to a decrease in osmotic potential, resulting in decreased water uptake.
14 Aug 2026
Poland’s Łutówka sour cherry harvest is nearing its end, while processors have raised prices only slightly. Growers say returns remain below production costs, raising concerns about the future of investment in orchards, modern machinery, crop protection and fertilisers.
15 Oct 2026
Cherry Times Magazine 2026 explores innovation, sustainability and cherry markets in its fourth edition. Presented at Fruit Attraction in Madrid, it looks ahead to Fruit Logistica 2027 in Berlin, examining the challenges and future of cherry production around the world.
15 Oct 2026
A study in a commercial cherry orchard in Turkey shows that variable-rate irrigation, supported by satellite imagery and soil moisture monitoring, can cut irrigation water use by up to 49% while maintaining marketable yields and fruit quality, even in very hot weather.
