Testing of Sweet Cherry Cultivars on 'Gisela 5' Rootstock

Field evaluation of 12 sweet cherry cultivars grafted on 'Gisela 5' rootstock was conducted in the region of Macva (north-west of Serbia) during a four-year period (2008-2011). Standard cultivar for comparison was 'Van'. Studies have included time of flowering and ripening, yield, fruit quality, and susceptibility to rain induced fruit cracking. Compared with the standard cultivar, significantly higher productivity was achieved in cultivar 'Regina', while larger fruit size was achieved in cultivars: 'Penny', 'Summit', 'Cristalina', 'Sunburst', 'Kordia', and 'Skeena'. Cultivars 'Kordia', 'Cristalina', and 'Skeena' had better fruit quality than the standard cultivar. Testing of fruit cracking susceptibility was done by using cracking index. The lowest values were found in the cultivars 'Chelan' and 'Regina', while the highest values were found in cultivars 'Summer Sun' and 'Skeena'. Overall, the best results were shown by cultivars 'Regina' and 'Kordia', which can be recommended for commercial cultivation in Serbia.