Pre-harvest determinants in cherry production for the fresh market – Part 1: environment, genetic factors and production physiology

This article, written exclusively for Cherry Times readers by Jesús Alonso, a Spanish researcher and member of the scientific committee of this magazine, examines the physiological and agronomic factors that determine orchard establishment, fruit quality and production stability in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivation models intended for cherry production for the fresh market.

The central thesis is that marketable production does not depend on a single cultivation practice, but rather on an integrated sequence that begins in the previous production cycle with floral induction and the formation of flower buds; continues through the fulfilment of the winter chilling requirement, spring heat accumulation, flowering, pollination and fruit set; and culminates in the stages of fruit growth, ripening and harvesting.

The article, divided into two parts, integrates several aspects:

1. This first part examines the choice of growing area, cultivar and rootstock; dormancy; frost sensitivity and reproductive dynamics
2. The second part, scheduled for next Thursday, will address cultivation technique topics such as irrigation management, fruit load, canopy and mineral nutrition; rain cracking; protected cultivation systems and adaptation to climate change.

The approach adopted connects physiological mechanisms with agronomic evidence to support context-specific technical decisions, avoiding the transformation of thermal models, critical thresholds or cultivation interventions into universal prescriptions.

Introduction and scope

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is a high-value temperate fruit crop whose profitability in fresh-market systems depends on tight coordination among climate, phenology, and orchard management. Commercial production requires trees to enter bloom with well-formed flower buds, to have satisfied their winter chilling requirement, to accumulate spring heat sufficiently and uniformly, to maintain favorable conditions for pollination and fruit set, and to complete fruit development under a balanced integration of water supply, nutrition, crop load, canopy architecture, and climate-risk mitigation (Fadón et al., 2021; Fadón et al., 2023; Hedhly et al., 2004; Wani et al., 2014).

[...]

Would you like to learn more about this topic? The full article is reserved for subscribers to the Cherry Times newsletter! Subscribe free of charge to receive every new exclusive in-depth article directly in your inbox and stay constantly updated with quality insights and analysis. Do not miss this unique opportunity!

Subscribe free of charge to the Cherry Times newsletter

Cherry Times - All rights reserved