Climate change and inappropriate variety use are also worsening the situation of the cherry sector

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This year was not really favorable for cherries either, the frosty period in early April hit early varieties the most, but late varieties also suffered from the cold, so good fruit setting did not develop – this was stated at the Cherry Professional Day organized by the Institute of Horticulture of the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE) and the National Chamber of Agriculture. At the event held at the Elvira Majori site of the fruit research institute belonging to the university, Dr. In his welcoming speech, Béla Mártonffy, the NAK’s presidential advisor, emphasized that the situation of cherry production in our country is facing serious challenges. Climate change confronts the sector with difficulties for which no answers have been found yet, and adaptation and real variety trials are lacking. The introduction of varieties imported from abroad into commercial production, due to the lack of thorough knowledge and testing, has caused and will cause irreversible damage to the sector. The National Chamber of Agriculture is therefore initiating the setting up of trials − variety and production technology trials − in the case of the 5 most important fruit species in cooperation with university research institutes and producers.

Domestic fruit production can be put back on a growth path with modern knowledge, thorough domestic studies and the application of research results that can be used in practice

In addition to the status and results of cherry breeding, the event also discussed the latest cultivation methods, practical experiences of intensive plantations, current issues and opportunities in plant protection, and issues of use and development of foil systems. The success of cherry production is greatly influenced by the amount of precipitation falling at the time of ripening, and the increasingly frequent frost period in spring, to protect against which various foil covers and various heating options under the foil are available. As a conclusion to the presentations and the event, the 5th intensively cultivated summer cherry plantation of the Fruit Production Research Center was presented, where several cherry varieties are being tested on 3 different rootstocks and with different crown shapes.

Cherries are our very popular early fruit, which is among the first fruits to appear on the market when ripe

Customers typically look for large, shiny and dark red fruits. For example, the Hungarian-bred Carmen, and the Kordia and Regina, which are widespread among producers, but we can be proud because the variety use in domestic cherry production is based on Hungarian-bred varieties. The largest production area is located in Pest County, where about 25 percent of domestic cherry production is concentrated, in addition, Bács-Kiskun, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Fejér and Zala counties in Transdanubia, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén in the north, and Heves County in the east are also significant.

NAK – MATE