"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.
18 Jun 2024
Bacterial canker shows a wide variability, influenced by agro-climatic conditions and crop management practices. This variability is observed both in terms of incidence (1% to 30% or more) and symptom intensity in different locations and cultivars.
14 Feb 2025
Data collected from 138 farms show that the average gross production value per hectare is approximately €9,998, with variations between €9,339 and €11,082. Production costs average €6,220 per farm, with a distribution of 41.13% in variable costs and 58.87% in fixed costs.
07 Oct 2026
A study carried out in southern Bulgaria monitored phytophagous insects in cherry orchards and confirmed the presence of Rhagoletis cerasi. Drosophila suzukii was not detected, highlighting the value of early monitoring for targeted, sustainable cherry crop protection.
07 Oct 2026
Australia closed a strong 2025-26 cherry season, with exports reaching 4,950 tonnes, up 13% in volume and 22% in value. Tasmania and Victoria led shipments, while China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan and Singapore absorbed about 80% of total Australian cherry exports.
