árf-3 SWEET CHERRIES: Production, Marketing, and Processing Agriculture Handbook No. 442 p^ C_^ '"^ CI? -j-, ■ —Í 00 ::^ Agricultural Research Service UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PRECAUTION Pesticides used improperly can be injurious to man, animals, and plants. Follow the directions and need all precautions on the labels. Store pesticides in original containers under lock and key—out of the reach of children and animals—and away from food and feed. Apply pesticides so that they do not endanger humans, livestock, crops, beneficial insects, fish, and wildlife. Do not apply pesticides when there is danger of drift, when honey bees or other' pol- linating insects are visiting plants, or in ways that may contaminate water or leave illegal resi- dues. Avoid prolonged inhalation of pesticide sprays or dusts; wear protective clothing and equipment if specified on the container. If your hands become contaminated with a pesticide, do not eat or drink until you have washed In case a pesticide is swallowed or gets in the eyes, follow the first aid treatment given on the label, and get prompt medical attention. If a pesticide is spilled on your skin or clothing, remove clothing immediately and wash skin thoroughly. Do not clean spray equipment or dump excess spray material near ponds, streams, or wells Be- cause It is difficult to remove all traces of herbicides from equipment, do not use the same equip- ment for insecticides or fungicides that you use for herbicides. Dispose of empty pesticide containers promptly. Have them buried at a sanitary land-fill dump or crush and bury them in a level, isolated place. NOTE : Some States have restrictions on the use of certain pesticides. Check your State and local regulations. Also, because registrations of pesticides are under constant review by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, consult your county agricultural agent or State Extension spe- cialist to be sure the intended use is still registered. This handbook updates information on cherry production that formerly appeared in Farmers' Bulletm 2185, "Growing Cherries East of the Rocky Mountains," and its predecessor. Farmers' Bulletin 776, of the same title. fPKOTECïd SWEET CHERRIES: Production, Marketing, and Processing By H. W. FoGLE, J. C. SNYDER, H. BAKER, H. R. CAMERON, L. C. CocHRAN, H. A. SCHOMER, and H. Y. YANG Agricultitre Handbook No. 442 Agricultural Research Service UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Washington, D.C. Issued December 1973 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402—Price $1.40 Stock Number 0100-02730 CONTENTS Page Page Introduction 1 Fungal and bacterial diseases 49 Botanical classification 2 Brown rot 50 Areas of adaptation _ 3 Armillaria root rot 52 Importance of crop _ 3 Verticillium wilt „ _ _ 53 Responses to climate _ 5 Collar rot or crown rot . _ „ 53 Winter- and frost- hardiness _ 5 Cherry leaf spot _ _ 53 Rain cracking of fruit _ 5 Coryneum blight 54 Fruit doubles 7 Witch's broom 54 Soil requirements . 7 Black knot _ 54 Cultivars (Varieties) _ 8 Powdery mildew 55 Main cultivars _ „ ^ _ 8 Perennial canker 55 Special-purpose cultivars _ 11 Bacterial canker 55 New and promising cultivars - - _ _ _ 13 Crown gall 57 Pollination requirements _ 18 Virus and viruslike diseases 57 Propagation 19 X-disease 58 Rootstocks 20 Little cherry ^ _ 59 Inter stocks ^ 21 Albino _ _ 61 Topworking 22 Prunus ringspot ^ „ _ _ _ 62 Orchard planting _ 22 Mottle leaf 62 Site 22 Rusty mottles 63 Selection of nursery stock _ 22 Rasp leaf 64 Soil preparation 23 Twisted leaf _ 64 Time of planting _ 24 Black canker 64 Tree spacing 24 Spur-inducing virosis _ _ _ 65 Transplanting _^ 25 Short-stem virosis . 65 Tree heading and training _ _ 25 Virus diseases of lesser importance 65 Care of young trees 26 Cherry boron rosette Ç>Q Orchard management _ _ 26 Other disease problems 66 Cultivation _ 26 Harvesting and marketing 67 Fertilizers 26 Picking maturity „ _ 68 Irrigation 28 Indices of maturity ^ _ 68 Cover crops and intercrops _ 28 Fruit handling „ 69 Weed control 29 Packaging 69 Pruning and thinning 31 Pruning 31 Pretransit holding and shipping _ _ 72 Thinning fruit ^ 35 Processing .. _ 74 Protection against birds _ „ 36 Brining 74 Insects and mites 37 Maraschino 81 Cherry fruit flies 38 Glacé _ 84 Black cherry aphid ^ ^ ^ 40 Canning 84 Mites _ _ 41 Freezing 85 Pear slug ^ 44 Dehydrating _ _ _ 85 Plum curculio 45 Pickling „. _ 85 San Jose scale 46 Other uses _ 85 Shot-hole borer 46 Literature cited „ 85 Lepidopterous larvae 47 Additional selected references _ 91 II Sweet Cherries: Production, Marketing, and Processing By H. W. FOGLE; J. C. SNYDER,' H. BAKER/ H. R. CAMERON/ L. C. COCHRAN,' H. A. SCHOMER," AND H. Y. YANG ' INTRODUCTION Climatic conditions in the Pacific Coast logical to prepare such a publication primarily S ;ates are very different from those in the for western conditions, with variations noted Great Lakes cherry areas. Cultivars (varieties as appropriate for eastern producing areas. d(îveloped under cultivation) grown are differ- The sweet cherry is considered to be native ent in the western and eastern growing re- to the Caspian-Black Sea region (30)^ and gions. Utilization varies widely, even among perhaps to parts of Asia as far east as north- the Pacific Coast States. Many western cherries ern India (58), From these areas, men and ai'e grown under irrigation, while those in east- birds apparently spread seeds to all of contin- ern orchards are grown mostly under natural ental Europe. rainfall. The western shipper requires culti- Early colonists brought sweet-cherry seeds vars firm enough to withstand transportation to America and established orchards. Natural f(>r 3,000 miles and several days on the grocer's spread occurred in the eastern United States, shelf, whereas the eastern grower uses soft- and large specimen trees were often found in flashed cultivars because of their greater rain- open pastures or forests. Propagation of trees ci'acking resistance. by grafting in America started about 1767, Despite these variations between growing some 140 years after the first records of cherry rcîgions, it appeared desirable to have a publi- culture in America (71). cation combining such recent developments as Settlers brought sweet cherries with them n^w cultivars and new harvesting and handling to Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in rrethods with the considerable, but widely dis- the period from 1700 to 1750. persed, published material on sweet cherries. Franciscan monks were cultivating sweet Since about 80 percent of the sweet cherries cherries in California missions by the end of are produced in the Western States, it appeared the Revolutionary War. A few of the ''forty- niner" gold miners began cultivation of cher- ^ Research horticulturist, Fruit Laboratory, North- ries and other fruits. However, modern cherry eastern Region, BeltsviUe, Md. growing in the West began with Henderson - Deceased. Formerly Extension horticulture special- Lewelling, who in 1847 transported nursery ist, Washington State University, Pullman, Wash. stock from Iowa to western Oregon by oxcart ^ Retired. Formerly assistant chief, Fruit and Vege- and established orchards. Later, lacking suit- table Insect Research Branch, Entomology Research Division, Agricultural Research Service. able understocks, the Lewelling nursery, then ' Plant pathologist, Oregon State University, Cor- headed by Henderson's brother, Seth Lewelling, vallis, Oreg. grew large numbers of cherry trees from seeds. ^ Retired. Formerly chief, Fruit and Nut Crops From these, the cultivars 'Bing' and 'Republi- Research Branch, Plant Science Research Division, can', and later, 'Lambert' originated. Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Md. " Retired. Formerly plant physiologist. Market Qual- 'Napoleon' was renamed *'Royal Ann" by the ity Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, Lewelling brothers after its label was lost en- W~enatchee, Wash. ' Food technologist, Oregon State University, Cor- ^ Italic numbers in parentheses refer to Literature Vcdlis, Oreg. Cited, p. 85. 1 AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 442, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE route during the overland journey. These four leaves emerging from buds are folded length- cultivars have comprised nearly all of the com- wise in contrast to being rolled in plums. mercial acreage in the West until the present Also, in cherries, the stone is more globular, time. the fruit and stone are smaller, and the flowers occur in corymbose, rather than unbelliferous, BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION clusters. Sweet-cherry trees that are untrained and The sweet cherry {Prunus avium L.) is a unpruned form a large tree with strong cen- drupe or stone fruit belonging to the family tral leaders. Generally, they are long-lived Rosaceae. It has a basic chromosome number trees, which will attain greater height and (n) of 8. Nearly all sweet cherries are diploid breadth than can be handled economically in (2n = 16), although occasional tetraploids commercial practice (fig. 1). Hence, some care (4n = 32), which bloom sparsely and are un- in training the young tree, pruning to produce productive, occur from the union of unreduced and maintain wide-angled limbs, and forcing gametes. Rarely, triploids have been found. early fruiting are helpful in controlled growth Duke cherries, P. Gondouini (Poit. and Turp.) and mature tree size. When fully hardened, Rehder, [{P. effusa (Host.) Schneid.)], arise sweet-cherry trees are hardier than peaches from the cross of tetraploid P. cerasus L. but more tender than most apple varieties. (commonly known as sour cherry, tart cherry, However, trunks, crotches, and terminal wood pie cherry, or red cherry) and unreduced pollen of sweet-cherry trees are susceptible to early (2n) of the sweet cherry. The tetraploid duke fall freezes. cherries are productive in varying intermediate Leaves and fruits of sweet cherries are larger degrees between the two species.