Everything you need to know about cherry cultivation, growth and production. Learn about:- 1. Introduction to Cherry 2. Climate and Soil Required for Cherry Cultivation 3. Propagation and Rootstocks 4. Planting and Training 5. Varieties 6. Uses.
Contents:
- Introduction to Cherry
- Climate and Soil Required for Cherry Cultivation
- Propagation and Rootstocks of Peach
- Planting and Training of Cherry
- Varieties of Peach
- Uses of Peach
1. Introduction to Cherry:
Prunus is the botanical name belongs to family Rosaceae. It is a large group of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. These popular plants are greatly valued for their delicious, edible fruits, gorgeous spring blossoms and some, for their colorful foliage; some varieties are grown for decoration alone, since all do not produce edible fruits.
Cherries (Prunus avium – sweet / P. cerasus – sour) are originally from Transcaucasia, Asia Minor and Persia. Said to date as far back as 300 B.C., cherries were named after the Turkish town of Cerasus. Throughout the centuries, cherry trees have been lauded for their deliciously succulent fruit as well as for their beauty.
Tourists flock to Washington, D.C., every year to see the cherry blossoms on the ornamental cherry trees that were originally presented to America’s capital in 1912 by Tokyo’s governor. There are two main groups of cherries-sweet and sour.
The dwarf cherry (P. cerasus) is a bushy shrub, not more than from three to eight feet in height, with a reddish bark, and with short-stalked, erect, and coarsely-notched leaves. Its flowers, too, are arranged in umbels, and its fruit is round, red, and acid, being distinguished by this acidity and by the comparative abundance of its juice.
It is believed to be the origin of our sweet garden Cherries; though, even if this be so, it does not militate against the statement that the latter are a late introduction from Asia, whilst the Dwarf Cherry appears truly wild over a large part of Europe.
Sweet cherries (heart-shaped) are delicious for eating out of hand and can also be cooked. The most popular varieties range from the dark red to purplish black bing, lambert and tartarian to the golden, red-blushed royal ann. maraschino cherries are usually made from Royal Ann cherries.
Sour cherries are smaller, softer and more globular than the sweet varieties. Most are too tart to eat raw, but make excellent pies, preserves and the like. The bestselling sour cherry varieties are the bright red early Richmond (the first cherry available in the late spring) and Montmorency and the dark mahogany red morello.
Most fresh cherries are available from May (June for sour cherries) through August. Choose brightly colored, shiny, plump fruit. Sweet cherries should be quite firm, but not hard; sour varieties should be medium-firm. Stemmed cherries are a better buy, but those with stems last longer. Store unwashed cherries in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Dried cherries – both sweet and sour-are available in many markets today. They can be eaten as a snack, or used in baked goods or desserts as one would use raisins. Cherries contain minor amounts of vitamins and minerals.
It is a deciduous tree growing to 18 m by 7 m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 3. It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. The plant not is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 4 out of 5 for usefulness.
The Cherry is a very beautiful tree that provides excellent fruit. There are two kinds of Cherry trees – Sweet Cherries, which are cultivars of P. avium, and Tart or Sour Cherries, which are cultivars of P. cerasus. The dark red sweet Cherries are the kinds most often seen in the grocery store.
Some sweet Cherries have yellowish flesh, these are usually used for maraschinos or canned fruit cocktails. Sweet Cherries are best eaten fresh as their delicate flavors don’t stand up to cooking well. Tart or Sour Cherries are hardly ever seen at the store. These Cherries are the varieties used in jams, tarts, pies, etc., thus another common name is Pie Cherry.
If sour Cherries are left on the tree to fully ripen, they may also be enjoyed fresh as sweet Cherries. Cherries not only provide delicious fruits, but also bear bunches of pretty white flowers in the spring. However, species have been bred specifically for their blossoms, which may be white or varying shades of pink; these cousins are called Flowering Cherries. P. avium (the wild species of the Sweet Cherries) is a medium to large sized tree with oblong or oval, pointy-tipped leaves that grow 2 to 4 inches long. They are dark green above and lighter and somewhat fuzzy beneath.
The leaves turn crimson in the autumn. From mid- to late spring, clusters of pure white, cup-shaped flowers are produced. Small, reddish-purple fruits follow the blossoms and ripen in June or July. The bark of this tree is smooth and gray but turns mahogany-red with age and peels in horizontal strips to reveal the paler, inner bark. P. cerasus ‘Rhexii’ is an ornamental variety of the sour Cherry that forms a small, bushy tree. It has clusters of double, white flowers, 1 to 1 ½ inches across, from mid- to late spring.
Another Flowering Cherry is P. cistena (Purple-leaf Sand Cherry). This Cherry forms a deciduous shrub up to 6 feet high with red foliage and single white blossoms, which are followed by black- purple fruits. This Cherry makes a great hedge plant. P. laurocerasus (Cherry Laurel) is a vigorous growing, evergreen shrub or small tree growing 20 feet or more high.
The glossy, dark green leaves are large and leathery. The Cherry Laurel is ordinarily grown as a hedge, but is very attractive in tree form. In mid- spring it produces upright clusters of single, white flowers that are followed by cherry-like, red then purplish-black fruits. Any part of this decorative tree is harmful if eaten.
Cherry (Prunus avium) is confined to Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and hills of Uttar Pradesh in India. A delicious fruit, cherry is rich in protein, sugars, and minerals. It has more calorific value than apple. Due to higher return, cherry is gaining popularity in temperate regions of the country.
2. Climate and Soil Required for Cherry Cultivation:
Trees cast a light shade and are themselves intolerant of heavy shade. Sweet cherry requires colder climate. Most cultivars will grow well against a sunny south or west facing wall though east or north facing walls are not very suitable. It is grown successfully in areas between 2,000 and 2,700 m above mean sea-level, requiring 1,000-1,500 hr chilling period during winters. Climate of Jammu and Kashmir, high hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh is ideal for its commercial cultivation.
Cherry blossom is very sensitive to spring frost, therefore frost-free sites of hill slope and valley areas with an outlet for the cold air are preferred. Since southern and south-western aspects are warmer, they should not be selected at lower elevations. Generally, northeastern aspects are most suitable for cherry cultivation.
An annual rainfall of 100-120 cm, well-distributed throughout the year is desirable but high rainfall during flowering results in heavy blossom wilt. At the time of fruit ripening heavy rains causes fruit cracking. Therefore, it should be dry at the time of fruit ripening.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. A well-drained deep sandy loam soil with pH 6.5-7.0, which can hold moisture during summer are most suitable. The cherry plant is very sensitive to waterlogging, so heavy soil should be avoided.
The plant requires a well-drained moisture retentive soil. Succeeds in light shade but fruits better in a sunny position. The tree thrives in a loamy soil, doing well on limestone. Prefers some chalk in the soil but apt to become chlorotic if too much is present. It is an ornamental plant, it is fast growing on deep moist soils but is shallow rooting.
3. Propagation and Rootstocks of Peach:
They produce quite a lot of suckers and can form thickets, especially if the main trunk is felled. This species is a parent of many cultivated forms of sweet cherries, especially the black fruited forms. Where space is at a premium or at the limits of their climatic range, sweet cherries can be grown against a wall.
The main problems with growing this species against a wall are firstly that it is usually completely self-sterile and so there needs to be space for at least two different cultivars, secondly it is very vigorous and so is difficult to keep within bounds. Most members of this genus are shallow-rooted and will produce suckers if the roots are damaged.
An excellent tree for insects and the fruit is a good food source for birds. A bad companion for potatoes, making them more susceptible to potato blight, it also suppresses the growth of wheat. It also grows badly with plum trees, its roots giving out an antagonistic secretion. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.
In India, it is locally known as ‘Paja’ (Prunus cerasoides), and is commonly used as a rootstock for sweet cherry in Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and hills of Uttar Pradesh. But it has completely failed due to delayed incompatibility. The plans raised on this rootstock grow well for 8-9 years.
After that their growth declines and plans completely die after 14-15 years. In some areas of Himachal Pradesh wild bird cherry (Prunus padus) is also used as a rootstock. Seedlings of mahaleb (P. mahaleb) are commonly used as a rootstock in Jammu and Kashmir. Clonal rootstocks – Colt and Mazzard F1 2/1 – have been found promising. These are recommended for raising dwarf sweet cherry plants in Himachal Pradesh.
In general, the seed requires 2 – 3 months cold stratification and is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as early in the year as possible. Protect the seed from mice etc. The seed can be rather slow, sometimes taking 18 months to germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle.
Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel in July/August in a frame. Divide the suckers in the dormant season. They can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. Layering can be done in spring season.
Seedling Rootstock:
In India, seedlings of paja, mahaleb and mazzard are used for raising plants. Paja seeds do not require chilling treatments to break dormancy but seeds of mahaleb and mazzard require stratification before sowing. Seeds are obtained from fully ripe fruits then dried. The dried seeds are stored in a cool place. Seeds are soaked in 500 ppm GA3 for about 24 hr then they are stratified by placing between the layers of sand in a cool place at 2°-4°C for 80-120 days for mahaleb and 120-50 days for mazzard to break seed dormancy.
During stratification the medium should remain moist. The embryonic root will come out from seed coat which is transplanted 6 cm deep and 10-15 cm apart in rows spaced at 20-25 cm in nursery beds. The nursery beds should be prepared well than mulched with 10-15 cm thick hay. Irrigate the beds lightly and watered twice a week. Keep the beds weed-free.
Clonal Rootstock:
In Himachal Pradesh, Colt and Mazzard F 12/1 clonal rootstocks are commercially recommended for raising its plants as trees on paja show symptoms of delayed incompatibility. Colt is semi-dwarf, compatible with almost all varieties of sweet cherry, has good anchorage, and is resistant to gummosis, crown-rot, moderately resistant to stem-pitting virus and bacterial canker but susceptible to oak-root fungus. Mazzard F 12/1 is semi-vigorous and difficult-to-root.
Mound or stool layering is the common method of clonal rootstock multiplication. The stool-beds are established during December by planting healthy mother plants 30-45 cm apart in rows spaced at 60-70 cm. Before new growth starts, the mother plants are cut back to 2.5 cm above the ground level. New shoots develop on the stub in the spring. When the shoots are 25-30 cm long, their bases are covered with a mound of soil or saw-dust, building the mound to a height of 20-25 cm as the shoots grow during spring.
The suckers are ringed at the base and then covered with soil to encourage rooting. In difficult-to-root Mazzard F1 2/1 rootstock, IBA (7,500 ppm) is applied to the ringed portion of the shoots during summer. The shoots are separated in winter and then lined out in the nursery beds. If the suckers are well-rooted and more than 0.8 cm in diameter, they are grafted in the spring, otherwise they are kept in the bed for a year to produce strong plants for grafting.
Colt rootstock is easy-to-root and can be multiplied through cuttings. Hardwood cuttings of 30-45 cm length and of pencil thickness are taken in February. Cuttings are treated with IBA (2,550 ppm) for 10 seconds and planted in nursery beds for rooting. Rooted cuttings are lined out in December and grafted with scion variety in March.
Cherry plants are propagated mainly through grafting. Tongue grafting during February-March is recommended, which gives a bud-take of more than 90%. For grafting, the scion wood is collected during winter when the buds are dormant. Scion wood is packed in moss grass and then wrapped in moist gunny bags. These packed bundles of scion wood are stored at 2°-4° C till these are used for grafting.
4. Planting and Training of Cherry:
In India, cherry cultivation is confined to hilly areas on sloppy lands. The planting is done on contour or terrace system. However in valley areas, square system of layout is recommended for the establishment of an orchard. The planting distance depends upon the soil fertility and the rootstock used. A spacing of 6m x 6m is recommended for plants raised on seedling rootstock. However, planting distance of 4m x 4m is recommended for plans raised on Colt rootstock in Himachal Pradesh.
Pits of 1m x 1m x 1m size are dug and filled with a mixture of 35-40 kg farmyard manure and half kg superphosphate one month before planting. The pits are filled at least up to 15 cm above the ground level. December-January is the planting time.
Since most of the cherry varieties are self-sterile, they need cross-pollination. There are many cross-incompatible groups and the varieties within a group should not be planted together without a pollinizer. Pollination problem in sweet cherry is very complex because most of the varieties are not only totally incompatible with their own pollen, but also with the pollen of some other varieties. Care should be taken to see that not only their flowering period overlaps, but they also do not have the same sterility alleles.
The varieties which have the same sterility alleles if planted together will not set fruit and require at least one other variety having different sterility allele for better fruit set. The universal donor varieties – Stella, Vista, Vic, Seneca and Vega – can be planted with any variety to get good fruit set provided their flowering period overlaps.
For maximum pollination, planting should be done in such a manner that plans of one variety face the other in the planting arrangement (Table 32.3).
Besides, 2-3 bee hives/ha are recommended in a cherry orchard for better pollination and fruit set.
Training:
Cherry trees are trained on modified leader system. Plants are headed back at about 60-80 cm at the time of planting. The central leader is retained and 3-5 wide-angled branches, 20-25 cm apart spirally around the tree are selected in first dormant pruning. The lowest branch should be 40-60 cm above the ground level. The selected scaffold branches are headed back to minimum and only one-fourth of the growth is pruned off.
In second dormant pruning, 3-4 well-spaced main branches are selected whose one-fourth growth is pruned off and on each main scaffolds well-spaced 3-4 secondary branches are selected. After 3-4 years, central leader is headed back and lateral branches are allowed to grow, resulting in the development of a strong and moderately spreading tree.
5. Varieties of Peach:
About 120 varieties are available. Most of them belong to sweet cherry group. All varieties are divided into 2 groups.
They are:
1. Heart group – Fruit is heart-shaped having soft and tender flesh. Colour of fruit varies from dark with reddish juice to light coloured with colourless juice.
2. Bigarreau group – Fruit roundish, colour of fruit and juice varies from dark to light red.
Sam, Summit, Sue, Sunbrust, Lapins, Compact Stella and hybrid (13-17-40) are new promising varieties. Recommended varieties suitable for different states are given in Table 32.1.
The other world varieties of sweet cherry are – Seneca, Early Rivers, Lyons, Black Tartarian, Victor, Yellow Spanish, Emperor Francis, Napolean, Schmidt, Bing, Geant d’Hedelfingen, Lambert, Windsor, Emperor, Kristin, Lambert, Lapins (Starkrimson)(Self-pollinator and pollinates others), Napolean (Royal Ann), Sam, Stark Gold (Good pollinator for others), Stella (Self-pollinates), Summit, Van.
Varieties of Sour cherry – Meteor, Montmorency, Morello, North Star, Early Richmond, English Morello.
6. Uses of Peach:
Raw or cooked fruit are used. It can be sweet or bitter but it is not acid. The fruit can be cooked in pies etc., or used to make preserves. The fruit contains about 78% water, 8.5 – 14% sugars. The fruit is about 20 mm in diameter and contains one large seed. Seed are cooked raw. If the seeds are bitter, do not eat them, they may be toxic. An edible gum is obtained by wounding the bark.
Medicinal Uses:
The fruit stalks are astringent, diuretic and tonic. A decoction is used in the treatment of cystitis, oedema, bronchial complaints, looseness of the bowels and anaemia (4, 238).
An aromatic resin can be obtained by making small incisions in the trunk. This has been used as an inhalant in the treatment of persistent coughs.
Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, all members of the genus contain amygdalin and prunasin, substances which break down in water to form hydrocyanic acid (cyanide or prussic acid). In small amounts this exceedingly poisonous compound stimulates respiration, improves digestion and gives a sense of well-being. This toxin is found mainly in the leaves and seed and is readily detected by its bitter taste.
It is usually present in too small a quantity to do any harm but any very bitter seed or fruit should not be eaten. In small quantities, hydrogen cyanide has been shown to stimulate respiration and improve digestion, it is also claimed to be of benefit in the treatment of cancer. In excess, however, it can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Other Uses:
A green dye can be obtained from the leaves. A dark grey to green dye can be obtained from the fruit. The bark usually only contains small amounts of tannin, but this sometimes rises to 16%. Wood is firm, compact, satiny grain. Used for turnery, furniture, instruments.