Acquiring cherry germplasm from Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

The sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) industry in the United States is a monoculture of a 400-year-old cultivar from France named 'Montmorency'. To provide a solid germplasm base to breed alternatives to 'Montmorency', cherry germplasm was systematically collected over a 15-year period from its ancestral home in Central and Eastern Europe and introduced to the U.S. The strategy of germplasm collection using pollen, seed and budwood importation of highly quarantined species is discussed. Germplasm resulting from this effort is highlighted as well as an example of commercial success. Finally, the "recycling" of this immense germplasm collection to search for dwarfing precocious rootstocks for sweet cherry is described.