Evaluation of Promising Sweet Cherry Cultivars on the Clonal Rootstock Krymsk ۵ in the Forest-Steppe Zone

One of the key considerations in establishing commercial sweet cherry (Prunus avium) orchards is the selection of cultivars and rootstocks that maximize the yield of marketable fruit, which can then be sold at premium prices. This research aimed to identify large-fruited, high-yielding sweet cherry cultivars suitable for industrial cultivation in the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine. The study evaluated ۲۳ cultivars grafted onto Krymsk ۵ rootstock, planted at a density of ۸۸۹ trees per hectare, focusing on growth characteristics, precocity, yield, and fruit marketability. Among the early-bearing cultivars, ‘Kazka’ stood out for its compact crown habit. In the mid-season group, ‘Elektra’ was notable, while the late-maturing group included promising cultivars such as ‘Krupnoplidna’, ‘Annushka’, ‘Etyka’, ‘Anshlag’, ‘Anons’, and ‘Stark Hardy Giant’. By the age of seven, trees had reached heights of ۳.۴ to ۳.۶ meters, with crown volumes ranging from ۱۳.۲ to ۱۶.۰ m³. In terms of precocity and productivity, the late-maturing cultivars ‘Zodiak’, ‘Anshlag’, ‘Anons’, ‘Donchanka’, ‘Etyka’, and ‘Krupnoplidna’ were particularly noteworthy, yielding ۱۱.۳ to ۱۶.۴ t/ha in the fifth year after planting and ۳۴.۰ to ۴۶.۲ t/ha in the sixth year. The largest fruits, with diameters of ۳۱.۳ to ۳۲.۷ mm, were produced by ‘Temporion’, ‘Etyka’, and ‘Krupnoplidna’. These cultivars demonstrate strong potential for use in industrial orchards, with fruit quality that meets the standards required by global retail chains.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cerasus avium ، cultivars ، Fruits ، marketability ، yield