Sweetheart cherry

The Sweetheart cherry is a cultivar of cherry. It is a hybrid of the Van and Newstar cultivars first developed in Canada.[1]

Sweetheart cherry
GenusPrunus
SpeciesPrunus avium
Hybrid parentageVan × Newstar
CultivarSweetheart
BreederDavid Lane
OriginSummerland, British Columbia, Canada

Cultivar history

The Sweetheart cultivar was developed at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland, British Columbia. The cross was made in 1975 and selected in 1982, and the variety was officially released in 1994.[2] It has since been used as a parent cultivar for several new varieties, including Staccato, Sentennial, and Sovereign.[3] The American Society for Horticultural Science awarded Sweetheart their Outstanding Fruit Cultivar award in 2012.[4][5]

Tree characteristics

Sweetheart is a self-fertile cultivar which can be used as a "universal pollinator" for other cherry varieties with similar bloom time.[6] The flowers bloom about 2-3 days before Bing.[1] It is a very heavy producer, with overcropping being a potential issue.[7] The tree is highly susceptible to powdery mildew.[8]

Fruit characteristics

Sweetheart is a late-season cherry, ripening about 20-22 days after Bing. The fruit is of moderate size, with red flesh, and dark bright red skin.[1]

References
  1. WSU Tree Fruit: Sweetheart Washington State University
  2. The ASHS Outstanding Fruit Cultivar Award: A 25-year Retrospective HortScience January 2013 vol. 48 no. 1 4-12
  3. Sweetheart wins award as Outstanding Fruit Cultivar Good Fruit Grower
  4. Food Day Canada: Sweetheart Cherry
  5. Award Given For Sweetheart Cherry Summerland Review
  6. WSU Tree Fruit: Sweet Cherry Pollination
  7. British Columbia Tree Fruit Production Guide
  8. Sweet cherry cultivars for the fresh market Oregon State University
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.