Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Volume LX
Written by Ion CAPLAN, Constanța ALEXE, Gheorghe LĂMUREANU
Cherries are among the first fruits that appear in late spring, their fresh consumption being a very important source of minerals, vitamins and sugars easily assimilated, of a great value for the human body. Period and duration of flowering is a genetic characteristic of cherry cultivar. The study on phenophase development of 31 cherry cultivars (Romanian and foreign origin), grown in the seaside area, demonstrates a strong variability in beginning, finish and duration of flowering. The beginning of the flowering took place in a long time, lasting 16 days, between April 10th ('Amara’ and 'Catalina’) and April 26th (NY 13272). Blossoming mass (optimal) occurred between April 19th to April 20th ('Catalina’ and 'Amara’) and May 4th to May 5th (NY 13272, 'Summit’, 'Lambert’, 'Sam’, 'Izverna’). A group of 20 cultivars out of 31, bloomed in the same time, between May 2nd to May 5th, providing cross pollination. End of flowering (falling petals) are recorded between April 30th ('Catalina’) and May 9th (NY 13272, H 15/25, 'Cristina’, NY 7690, 'Sam’, 'Izverna’, 'Lambert’, 'Summit’). In climatic conditions in Valu lui Traian flowering phenophase lasts 29 days and could be divided into two types: the early cultivars between 10th of April and 29th of April and late cultivars till 9th of May. Free cherry pollination was done extensively, but with significant variations depending on the cultivar, from 8.23% (NY 13272) to 83.3% ('Altenburger’). The only cultivars that can be considered partially self-compatible is NY 13272, 'Summit’ and 'New Star’, with more than 11% resulted fruits by self-pollination, the rest of them act as self-sterile cultivars.
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