All commercial sweet cherry trees are either budded or grafted.
The part of the tree above the graft/bud union is known as the scion, and the part below the graft/bud union is known as the stock or rootstock.
Modern sweet cherry scion breeding programs have focused mainly on achieving improved characteristics such as yield, taste, fruit size, fruit firmness, fruit color, precocity, disease and fruit cracking resistance.
In contrast, modern rootstock breeding programs have largely focused on increasing precocity, reducing vigor or, in some cases, adaptation to certain soil and climatic conditions.
In recent years, there has been a substantial increase of available rootstocks that provide growers with a complete range of vigor from full vigor, full size to true dwarfing rootstocks that reduce vigor by 50% or more.
These dwarfing rootstocks facilitate the harvest of premium quality fruit from high-density, pedestrian orchards.
Furthermore, when matched with ultra-high-density training systems, such as slender spindle axis, dwarfing rootstocks may reach full production by fourth leaf.
[...]
Want to know more? The full article is reserved for subscribers to the Cherry Times newsletter! Sign up for free to receive each new exclusive in-depth article directly in your inbox and stay up-to-date with quality advice and analysis. Don't miss this unique opportunity!
Sign up for free to the Cherry Times newsletter
24 May 2024
Sufficient pollination and successful fertilization are essential for fruit set and high yields. Polyamines and brassinosteroids - contained in kelp species like Ecklonia maxima - have been well documented to significantly promote both pollen germination and pollen tube growth.
05 Apr 2023
Drosophila suzukii has been rapidly spreading across many countries. The integration of agronomic and sanitation practices besides to the chemical protection can create an unfavourable environment for the phytophagous limiting its presence.
21 Aug 2026
A genomic study identifies 17 HSP70 and HSP90 genes in sweet cherry and explains how they respond to heat and salinity. The results highlight key genes, including PavHSP90-5, that could support breeding of cultivars with resilience to climatic and environmental stress.
21 Aug 2026
A study in southern Chile shows how mineral nutrition, especially the balance between nitrogen and phosphorus, may influence internal browning in Regina sweet cherries, postharvest quality and the fruit’s ability to withstand long storage periods for export markets.
