Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/67288
New Varieties Early Robin is 10 to 12 days ahead of Rainier, but unlike Rainier, possesses moderate rain cracking resistance. Fruit quality characteristics Sweet cherry cultivars in a variety trial at The Dalles, Oregon. Cultivar Santina Kiona Benton Cowiche Selah Regina or – Bing Bing/Rainier Self- (days) -7 B -8 B -1 B +8 B +9 B Picking Average first time + bloom + or – Early Robin -11 R +11 B B = Bing R = Rainier * Minimum 700 g is desired ** Minimum 250 g/mm is desired SOURCE: Lynn Long, Oregon State University +12 B -2 B (days) +3 B +8 B +7 B +8 B +8 B fertile? Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No Average fruit Average pedicel-fruit size (mm) 29.6 28.9 30.7 32.8 30.3 30.3 29.5 size force (g)* 9.5 9.5 9 9.5 8.5 9 9 1360 1162 1216 1286 1058 1542 556 row retention firmness (g/mm)** 320 244 303 326 359 285 322 Average Average fruit large; fruit is firm and with good stem pull force. Unfortu- nately, there have been reports of pitting problems in storage with this variety. Selah With very large fruit size, excellent flavor, and moder- ate productivity on a self-fertile tree, who could blame growers for planting large acreages of this variety in the late 2000s? Hoping for a winner, they soon discovered, however, that the stem retention force was so poor that stems fell off the fruit during both harvest and packaging. In addition, a large percentage of the embryos fail to develop, so pits readily shatter in one's mouth as the fruit is being eaten, potentially creating a hazard for both chil- dren and adults. In Oregon, most of these trees have been grafted over to other varieties as growers have moved on. Regina Oregon growers have been planting Regina for nearly Regina is more resistant to cracking from rain than many other varieties, but finding the right pollenizer has been challenging. a cherry ripening between Chelan and Bing. Firmness, however, is low with an average reading on our Firmtech 2 instrument of 244 grams per millimeter. Minimum acceptable firmness for fresh harvest cherries is 250 g/mm. Initially, I was hopeful that we would be able to overcome this deficiency by harvesting the fruit early as Kiona fruit is sweet even as it begins to color. At this early stage of development, I was able to obtain firmness readings above the acceptable minimum, but the fruit color was too light for good marketing potential. Benton Benton is another release from the WSU breeding program. It ripens with Bing or a few days earlier. Because it sizes late, it is dif- ficult to harvest much earlier than at Bing harvest timing. That said, however, it offers a couple of advantages over Bing. Fruit size is larger, averaging 9.5 row, and there is a moderate level of rain crack resistance with this variety. In addition, flavor, firmness, and stem pull force are excellent. Although it is self-fertile, it is not productive. This variety is one that does well on the more highly productive rootstocks such as Gisela 6 or 12. For the same reason, Mazzard should be avoided. Cowiche Cowiche ripens several days prior to Lapins. It was released by WSU along with Kiona in the mid-2000s. Perhaps its greatest attribute is its flavor. The flavor of Cowiche can best be described as intense. The fruit is very high in both acid and sugar, making for a very strong flavor. Possibly because of its flavor, birds seem to prefer this variety to others. Bloom time is moderately late, and due to a unique allele combination, almost any late-blooming cherry can serve as a pollinizer. Fruit size is very www.goodfruit.com ten years. Although the fruit is large and firm, it is grown mostly for its lower rain cracking potential, high packout rates, and the ability to arrive at distant markets in excellent condition. Ripen- ing with Skeena, it is much more resistant to rain cracking. In 2011, 65 percent of the Skeena cracked, whereas only 20 percent of the Regina cracked in the trial block. Regina is self-infertile and blooms very late, so finding good pollinizers for it can be a challenge. Sam and Stark's Gold seem to work best, but both have limited potential for marketing. Attika, Schneiders, and even Skeena can work, but tend to bloom slightly ahead of Regina. Most Oregon growers plant a solid block of Regina and insert the pollinizer tree between the Regina trees every fifth tree in every row. Pollinizers are pruned hard each year to maintain their space. Due to lower productivity, Gisela 6, 12, or Krymsk 6 work well as a rootstock. Early Robin Growers looking to spread out their harvest of blush cherries now have an option. Early Robin was discovered in a Washington orchard a number of years ago and provides a good early harvest alternative to Rainier. Harvest time is 10 to 12 days ahead of Rainier. The flavor is similar to Rainier in that it gives an overall sweet impression lacking the strong acid balance of Bing. Fruit size is moderately large with excellent firmness and, unlike Rainier, possesses moderate rain crack resistance. The tree is self-infertile, and Bing is commonly used as a pollinizer. The trees are only moderately productive, so they do well on some of the more productive rootstocks. • GOOD FRUIT GROWER JUNE 2012 31