Hatch #0130980: Cherry Breeding. Develop, test and introduce cultivars with improved quality, pest tolerance (especially bacterial canker), and production characteristics like tolerance to rain induced fruit cracking, fruit size and firmness, adaptation to NY climatic conditions, and spanning maturity seasons.

RRF NC-140: Rootstock and Interstem Effects on Pome and Stone Fruit Trees. To evaluate rootstock and multiple genetic systems in different environments; to determine biotic and abiotic stress tolerance of fruit trees in relation to new and existing rootstocks and multiple genetic systems.

Building on a genetic base built by Geneva predecessors (Hudson and Ulster, which are hardy, high quality, well adapted cultivars that resist cracking and disease but that lack size) , we have hybridized them with introduced blood lines from large fruited foreign accessions that have poorer tree adaptation. Simultaneously we've 3rd tested elite selections bred by predecessors and released 6 of them in the 1990s. (Andersen, HortScience, 1994 ; Budan, et. al. 1991). Our vision is to either breed or accession and 'grower-prove' several more sweet cherries by 2005. These must embody the economic traits listed in the Hatch objectives. The genetic aspect of our work seeks to conduct limited but sharply focused genetics research dealing with pollination biology. Better understanding of the pollination and fruit set phenomena will lead to better varieties and better cultural recommendations for them (Choi. 1995).

The rootstocks aspects of this program target interstate and international collaboration through accessioning of foreign breeding products as the natural resource and employing the acuity of scientific collaboration across the land grant system (Andersen, NY Frt. Qtr.,1994). Mentors for crop germplasm/varietal candidates within the National Plant Genetics System play an important role in facilitating international exchange of clones. Experiments with such long-lived perennials requires much advance planning. The experiments for the next 10 years are already designed and the trees are under construction (Perry, et al., 1996).