Description
The cherry is a very vigorous tree with a rounded or conical crown that can reach 15m in height. Its branches are thick and with many short shoots, which sprout annually and is where the flowers and fruits grow. Its leaves are oval, up to 15cm long and very serrated. Its flowers are hermaphroditic and white in color, and are generated in structures called bouquets of maando, where several flowers will grow. The fruit is almost spherical and has a dark red pulp, almost black when fully ripe.
The world production of cherries stands at 2,000,000 tons per year. The main world cherry producers are the United States, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece and Russia. In Spain about 30,000 hectares are cultivated, which produce approximately 100,000 tons. The main cherry growing areas are Extremadura, Aragon, Catalonia, Andalusia and Castilla and León.
Soil
It prefers deep and loose soils, if they are heavy and too humid they can cause root suffocation.
PH
Salinity
Quality
Temperature
The cherry tree has a high capacity to adapt to different soils and climates, as long as it is a climate with temperate temperatures but with cold winters. Although it has high cold needs (800 hours cold) the flower is quite sensitive to frost.
Irrigation
They do not have high water needs, so if a suitable pattern is chosen and the climate allows it, they can be cultivated in dry land.
Irrigation properties
Varieties
The best known cherry varieties are Ambrunés, Burlat, Lapins, Pico Negro, Summit and Sunburst among others. Every one of them has a different harvest date, so this allows to have cherries in the national market from the end of April to July. Among the most used varieties for industrial crops are Napoleon and Blanca de Provence.