Many large cherries from narrow trees – advantages and disadvantages of cultivation systems in comparison

This is one of the topics on the agenda of the 2nd Stone Fruit Forum on 19 November. The Stone Fruit Forum will take place as part of the expoSE trade fair in Karlsruhe (Germany).

The trend toward large, firm cherries continues unabated. In anticipation of higher prices, various cultivation methods have emerged in recent years. The availability of new variety-rootstock combinations expanded the range of fruit sizes. Tree training plays a key role in maintaining, or perhaps even improving, this level. But which cultivation system has proven successful? "There's no general answer to this question," explains Peter Hilsendegen, stone fruit consultant at the Rural Services Center (DLR) in the Rheinpfalz region. "But we see that, in addition to a sufficient supply of water, nutrients, and warmth during the cell division phase in the first few weeks after flowering, tree training, in particular, can be used by fruit growers as a tool to improve fruit size." However, it should be noted that the yield reliability made possible by the high productivity of the new variety-rootstock combinations also has a downside: high fruit set and weaker growth can easily impair fruit size development. This effect can be further amplified if the same area is used for several successive tree generations, as is increasingly the case in protected cultivation with roofing or netting systems. At the 2nd Stone Fruit Forum in Karlsruhe, Peter Hilsendegen will present his new findings on the various cultivation systems.

At the 2nd Stone Fruit Forum, Peter Hilsendegen will present his latest findings on the various cultivation systems.

The full programme can be found at the following link: