Cherry (Prunus avium) ARTIS (syn. SR-24-4-63)

Cherry 'Artis' (Medium-late crisp sweet cherry)

A modern, winter-hardy Latvian variety featuring compact growth, large dark red fruits, and an exceptionally sweet flavor.

'Artis' (original breeding designation SR-24-4-63) is a modern Latvian variety, officially registered in 2020. It was developed at the Institute of Horticulture in Dobele (breeder Silvija Ruisa) from the open pollination of the 'Krupnoplodnaja' variety. Thanks to its frost resistance and easily shaped crown, it is ideal for growers in colder regions.

Key advantages of the variety:

• Compact growth: The tree exhibits medium vigor and forms a well-shaped pyramidal crown with wide branch angles, making pruning exceptionally easy.
• Outstanding sweetness: The fruits achieve a high sugar content (18 – 20 °Brix) and taste great even at the technical maturity stage.
• Dry tear: A massive advantage is the dry tear from the stem, allowing ripe cherries to be picked without stems (perfect for processing).
• Winter hardiness: Both the tree wood and flower buds demonstrate good winter frost resistance.

Fruit and Harvest

• Appearance: Large fruits (7 – 8 g) with a flat-round to kidney-shaped profile. Both the skin and flesh are dark red.
• Flavor and flesh: A typical crisp sweet cherry (bigarreau). The flesh is firm, dense, and very sweet.
• Harvest period: Medium-late variety, harvested in the 2nd decade of July.

Cultivation and Resistance

• Pollination: The variety is self-sterile. It blooms mid-season and requires a cross-pollinator that blooms at the same time.
• Weaknesses: In heavy rainy weather, the fruits have a moderate susceptibility to cracking. Cherry leaf spot may appear in late summer, though this does not affect the tree's winter survival.
• Requirements and rootstocks: Requires fertile soil and irrigation during dry summers. Recommended rootstocks are Mahaleb (height approx. 3 m) or Gisela 5 (height approx. 2 m). Note: It shows poor compatibility with the 'Latvijas Zemais' rootstock.