THE CULTIVATION OF SWEET CHERRIES IN JORK/FRG

The horticultural research institute Jork (OVA) is responsible for the fruit growing of the entire area under cultivation from Hamburg as far as Cuxhaven with about 12.500 hectare. The Altes Land is an area of 8.000 ha devoted exclusively to fruit growing, of which 750 ha are cherries.

Das Alte Land extends in the primeval bed of the river Elbe und for that reason it lies partly below sea level. It is transected by drainage ditches at intervals of 18 m crossed by so called Fleeten, which are bigger drainage ditches.

The fruit production in the Altes Land ist exclusively done on commercial fruit plantations of which the cherry plantations are a part, in contrast to cherry growing in other fruit growing areas of the Federal Republic of Germany where it is mainly done on a spare-time basis.

The Alte Land isn't only wet under foot but also has a lot of rain with an average of 745 mm a year with the highest rainfall in the cherry-month July-80 mm.

The annual diagrams show that the distribution of the rainfall can vary enormously so that it is necessary to reduce the financial risk by having a wide range of varieties of cherry spread over the 7–8 cherry-weeks. The picking time of cherries in the Altes Land is from the end of June until the middle of August.

This short general view should show the preconditions on which the cherry breeding depends. In spite of the unfavourable conditions of the area as well as of the weather nevertheless the Altes Land can look back on 600 years of cherry growing. Another important advantage of the area is that it is absolutely free of the cherry fruit fly.

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