What are good cherry-cherry hybrids and what are their features?

Some people like sour-tart cherries, while others like honey-sweet cherries. However, there is an intermediate option - the fruits of a cherry-cherry hybrid called Duke. The culture has inherited the best characteristics of its “parents” - stable immunity to fungal diseases, frost and drought resistance. Fruits with tender and juicy pulp have a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Today we will tell you about the botanical features of cherry and how to grow it.

Hybrid of sweet cherry and sour cherry

Duke, or cherry (a hybrid of sweet cherry and cherry) was born in England in the 17th century. by pure chance - due to cross-pollination of these crops. Gardeners liked the result so much that breeders began to develop different varieties of the crop.

Cherry and cherries - biologically similar crops, often growing in gardens in the neighborhood and crossing with each other. The bulk of such plants do not bear fruit, despite abundant flowering. However, there are fruit-bearing specimens - those very successful duka hybrids.

Cherry cells contain 32 chromosomes, sweet cherries - 16. Sweet cherries arise as a result of cell division disorders and contain 32 chromosomes. From a genetic point of view, duke is closer to cherries, which is manifested in external characteristics and taste.

The photo shows duka fruits.

History of origin and distribution

The first hybrid began to be cultivated in England and was called “May Duke,” which literally means “May Duke” in English. It was not winter-hardy and bore fruit once every 2-3 years. In domestic gardening, the hybrid is known as English early.

At the beginning of the 19th century. hybrids Empress Eugenie and Queen Hortensia also appeared by chance.

In Tsarist Russia, cherry breeding was carried out by I.V. Michurin. In 1888, he bred the first Duke by crossing the Belle cherry and the Winkler white cherry. The cultivar was named Beauty of the North because of its amazing winter hardiness and was intended for cultivation in Siberia. However, this hybrid did not live up to expectations - the flower buds died in severe frosts, which significantly reduced the yield.

40 years later, in 1926, Michurin developed the Chernaya consumer goods variety. Over time, it ceased to be grown due to irregular yields. The small fruits were almost black in color and had a high sugar content and cherry flavor.

Rossoshan breeders (Voronezh region) took over the baton of cultivation. In the 30s last century, they began actively breeding new varieties.

In Melitopol (Ukraine), productive varieties Melitopol Joy and Miracle Cherry were bred, which are still grown in private gardens. Authorship belongs to A.I. Taranenko.

Appearance and taste

In the southern regions and regions with mild winters, trees with a spreading crown are formed. In the northern regions and Siberia, bush-shaped trees are grown.

Externally, cherry is an average version of both crops, but the taste of the fruit is closer to cherries.

The leaf blade is a rich green color, larger than that of a cherry, reminiscent of cherry leaves, with a noticeable shine and a denser structure. The petioles are long.

The fruits are formed on short stalks and bouquet branches and are large in size. Average weight – 10 g, maximum – 20 g. The structure of the pulp is like that of cherry fruits. The sugar content is similar to that of cherries, but a large amount of acids slightly impairs the taste. The fruits hang on the branches for a long time. The taste characteristics only improve. The taste is sweet and sour, herbaceous, delicate, with a refreshing aftertaste.

The central trunk and shoots are smooth, like a cherry. The bark is dark brown. Skeletal shoots are sometimes located at an acute angle to the central trunk.

In the middle zone, flowering begins at the end of June, in the southern regions - in May. Flowers of white or white-pink shades are collected in inflorescences in the form of bouquets.

Cherry cherry is a fast-growing crop and, in the presence of suitable pollinators, produces the first harvest in the third year. At the end of flowering, unpollinated flowers fall off.

Biological features

Cherry cherry is a stone fruit crop that has received the best characteristics from its “parents”. Most varieties are self-sterile, but abundant flowering makes it a desirable ornamental crop.

Sharp temperature fluctuations, sudden frosts, and heat negatively affect the formation of eggs and pollen. The number of flowers capable of pollination is reduced to 1%. In some cases, germ cells are not formed.

Under optimal development conditions, only 5% of flower buds are literally hung with large fruits.

Cherevishna does not tolerate loneliness due to self-sterility.Experienced gardeners recommend planting trees next to cherries and sweet cherries. Dukes do not interbreed with each other.

Pollination

The best pollinators for Duke:

1. Nurse – cherries of the Podbelskaya and Vstrecha varieties, Valery Chkalov and Krupnoplodnaya cherries.
2. Ivanovna – Shalunya cherry, Franz Joseph and Krupnofrodnaya cherries.
3. Hope – large Black cherries, Kent and Lada cherries, Large-fruited cherries.
4. Griot Melitopol - Meeting and Waiting cherries, Vinka cherries.
5. Toy – Samsonovka and Shalunya cherries, Large-fruited cherries, Valery Chkalov, Franz Joseph.

It is recommended to purchase cherry seedlings together with pollinators that are capable of pollinating 1/3 of the flowers. This guarantees a bountiful harvest.

Advantages and disadvantages

Benefits of culture:

1. High yield - 15-17 kg of fruits per tree.
2. Frost resistance of most cherry-dominant varieties.
3. Resistant to drought and heat.
4. Pleasant taste and attractive appearance
5. Decorative effect of trees due to abundant flowering.
6. Resistance to fungal diseases and insects.
7. Ease in care.

The disadvantages of the culture are minor:

1. The trees bear fruit abundantly for the first 3-5 years, then productivity decreases sharply. After 8-10 years, flower buds form only on short shoots.
2. Some varieties (for example, Rubinovka) have a low level of frost resistance, since they took this trait from cherries.
3. If flowering coincides with spring frosts, more than 70% of the flowers become sterile.
4. The fruits do not tolerate transportation over long distances well - the thin skin is not able to protect the delicate pulp, so it quickly softens and leaks.
5. Trees need regular pruning due to the intensive growth of shoots.

Duke varieties

Popular varieties of cherry depending on the ripening period:

• ultra-early: Pren Koray, Strong, Miracle Cherry;
• mid-early: Saratov Baby, Yaroslavna’s Daughter, Rubinovka, Melitopol Joy;
• mid-season: Hodosa, Spartanka, Dorodnaya, Nurse, Fesanna;
• mid-late: Ivanovka, Nochka, Excellent Venyaminova, Dorodnaya, Pivonya, Donetsk Giant, Shpanka Donetskaya.

Growing regions

Cherry cherries are grown in the Central Black Earth, Central, North-Western, Southern regions, Western Siberia and the Volga region.

Varieties Fesanna, Nadezhda, Excellent Venyaminova, Memory of Vavilov, Krepkaya, Mayak, Zhukovskaya have been tested and recommended in the Khabarovsk Territory.

Particularly winter-hardy varieties Spartanka and Ivanovna tolerate frosts down to -25...-35°C.

Features of cultivation

Cherry cherry is undemanding to care and only needs abundant watering in the first years after planting, protection from rodents and severe frosts, sanitary and anti-aging pruning of branches.

Landing

Duke is planted in small groves. This is the most optimal planting method in terms of aesthetics and ease of care. The location is chosen on the sunny side of the site, protected from gusty winds and drafts. The sun's rays should illuminate the seedlings throughout the day.

Cherry cherry does not grow in wetlands. For landings select a site on a small hill, with deep groundwater (no higher than 2 m from the surface).

It is recommended to purchase planting material from specialized retail outlets or farms that propagate seedlings. Each of them should have a tag with information about age, variety, desired pollinators.

Signs of a healthy seedling:

• age – 2-3 years;
• the trunk is straight, without damage, with a developed rhizome;
• the roots are white when cut transversely;
• the bark is evenly colored, without damage or streaks of gum.

Plant in spring and autumn in soil with neutral acidity (pH=7). Acidic soil is normalized with lime - 0.8-1 kg is added per pit.

When preparing holes, it is undesirable to get carried away with fertilizers - cherry does not tolerate excess mineral and organic substances. Overfertilization leads to rapid growth; seedlings do not have time to prepare for wintering. The wood does not ripen, the trees freeze in winter. Proper preparation for wintering guarantees the safety of trees at -35°C. When growing dukes on nutrient soil, it is also better not to apply fertilizer.

The holes are located every 5 m so that the crown of old trees does not shade young seedlings and does not intertwine with branches.

When planting, make sure that the root collar remains above the ground level. Deepening stops the development of seedlings.

Care

When planting on depleted soil, 300 g of superphosphate, 300 g of potassium sulfate, 500 g of wood ash or 10 liters of compost or humus are placed in each hole. Fertilizers are mixed with the top layer of soil.

After planting, the seedlings are watered - 20 liters for each. Watering frequency is 2-3 times a month until a strong rhizome develops. The crop is drought-resistant, so mature trees do not need watering.

If necessary, young seedlings are fed twice a season:

• first feeding carry out until the end of June - 15-20 g of nitrogen fertilizers per seedling;
• the second – in the fall with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers (50 g of superphosphate, 30 g of “Nitrophoska”).

The powerful root system independently provides the fruiting tree with nutrients. Watering and fertilizing are reduced or stopped altogether.

Lack of oxygen has a detrimental effect on the root system. To improve aeration, the soil around the trees is loosened, weeds are removed, watered and mulched with hay, peat, and fallen leaves. A layer of mulch protects the roots from frost and rodents.

The first pruning is carried out after planting - the seedlings are shortened by 60-70 cm. The central conductor is left 20-25 cm above the side branches. Strong, well-developed side branches are cut by 1/3, weak ones are cut into a ring.

Thickening of the crown reduces the productivity of the duke. Sanitary pruning is performed every year - the tops of skeletal branches are removed. 5-6 years after planting, anti-aging pruning is carried out.

Protection from diseases and pests

Cherry cherry has strong immunity to most diseases and pests. The plant is not susceptible to moniliosis and coccomycosis, while cherry trees die from them.

Dukes are not afraid of the cherry fly.

Reproduction

The culture is propagated by cuttings, grafting and layering. The seed method is not used because it is inappropriate - the result is a completely different variety.

Cuttings are carried out in late August - early September. Lignified cuttings are suitable for this purpose. They are harvested from the lower branches. The sections are treated with charcoal. The cuttings are kept in a growth stimulator for 3-4 hours, after which they are rooted in previously prepared holes. The beds are first dug up and fertilized with compost or humus. After rooting, the cuttings are covered with film. Maintenance involves regular watering and the application of organic and mineral fertilizers.

Reproduction by grafting is used to produce more productive trees.The procedure is performed in April, when active movement of sap in the trees begins.

First, strong, winter-hardy varieties of cherries and cherries are selected. A healthy bud with a shield 30 cm long is carefully cut from a green cutting. Then the bark of the same length is cut on the rootstock, the cutting is applied and secured with electrical tape or tape so that the bud remains at the top. For better engraftment, greenhouse conditions are created at the junction - covered with plastic film.

Wintering

The winter hardiness of the cultivar is higher than that of sweet cherries, but lower than that of cherries. In the north of the country, cherry trees are covered with agrofibre or thick plastic film, spruce branches or burlap. The tree trunk circle is mulched with straw or peat to protect it from temperature changes. In southern Russia, trees do not need shelter from the cold.

In winter, young trees are protected from mice by pouring rodent poison into the tree trunk. Spruce branches will help protect trees from hares.

Reference. Spruce branches are branches of coniferous trees (spruce, pine, fir), which are used to protect plants in winter from piercing cold winds, severe frosts, sleet and freezing rain. The branches shade the trees from the scorching winter sun and provide additional ventilation. Hares and mice avoid such shelters.

Harvesting and application

It is recommended to collect the fruits together with the stalk. This allows for longer storage, especially if the product is intended to be transported.

Harvesting is carried out in the second ten days of June - early July. For fresh consumption, fruits that have reached full ripeness are removed, for canning - 4-5 days, for transportation - 1.5 weeks.

Cherry cherry is best suited for fresh consumption and further processing. The fruits are used to make compotes, jams, marmalades, pastilles, dry them and freeze them.

Reviews

Cherry cherry is grown in many regions of the country, but it is in the south and Central Black Earth Region that it is most popular. Gardeners leave mostly positive reviews about the crop.

Ivan, Stavropol: “In my garden, Miracle Cherry grows in close proximity to cherries - at a distance of at least 10 m. There are no problems with cross-pollination; bees also help with this. Last year, most of the cherry trees were affected by moniliosis, but the dukes remained untouched.”

Evgenia, Liski: “Before, I didn’t know what Duke was or what it was crossed with. On the recommendation of a neighbor, four years ago I planted the Duke variety Nadezhda and I couldn’t be happier. The tree blooms luxuriantly and produces an excellent harvest of bright red fruits. Their taste is pleasant, with pronounced cherry sourness. The pulp is tender and juicy. I make jam from them and close the compotes for the winter.”

Conclusion

Duke is a hybrid obtained by successful cross-pollination of cherries and sweet cherries. The culture is a self-fertile plant, so it is recommended to plant it next to suitable pollinators.

Strong immunity to fungi, drought and frost resistance, and ease of care make Duke desirable in the gardens of many regions of Russia. The amount of sugars and acid in fruits depends on the dominant - black cherry or cherry.