Characterization of cherry genotypes from North Anatolia

Abstract

The sweet cherry is apparently native in some parts of North Anatolia. There are a lot of cherry genotypes in Anatolia (Asia Minor). These genotypes may be genetic resources for developing new cultivars. This study was conducted on 42 cherry genotypes collected from Amasya and Giresun, Turkey to determine phenological, morphological and pomological characteristics such as first blossom, full blossom, harvest date, tree growth habit, leaf width and length (cm), fruit weight (g), yield, soluble solids content (%), titrable acid content (%), flavor, fruit firmness, appearance of the fruit, fruit width (mm), seed weight (g), fruit stalk length and thickness (mm), fruit shape, and skin color, and to select promising cherry genotypes. To determine the promising cherry genotypes, a "Modified Weighted-Ranked Method" was used based on fruit weight, yield, and appearance of the fruit, flavor, harvest date and soluble solids content; six cherry genotypes were determined as promising. Genotype 'A5' of the promising cherry genotypes had the highest score, followed by 'A6', 'A4', 'A12', 'A8' and 'S2'.