Morphological and pomological characteristics of some autochthonous sweet cherry cultivars in the Republic of Macedonia

This paper considers description of morphological and pomological characteristics of 16 autochthonous sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars grown in the region of Ohrid (southwestern part) and Strumica (southeastern part) of the Republic of Macedonia. The study was performed during two consecutive years (2013-2014). The cultivars were studied from the viewpoint of identification and characterization. Most of the studied cultivars have a high risk of extinction since at present they are minor market cultivars. The following characteristics were investigated: period of flowering and ripening, morphological characteristics of the flowers, fruit size, fruit weight, and description of quality characteristics of the fruits. The majority of the cultivars characterization was conducted using the Cherry Descriptor List. The results showed high variation of attributes among evaluated autochthonous cultivars. Flowering started between April 10 in 'Bugarka', 'Ranica' and 'Dalbazlija' and April 24 in cultivar 'Ohridska Crna' and fruit ripening between May 15 ('Bugarka') and July 10 ('Crvena Krcka'). Reniform fruit shape dominates in cultivars from the region of Ohrid, while oblate and eliptic fruit shapes dominate in cultivars that originate from Strumica region. Skin color ranged from yellow to blackish. 'Dolga Siska' is characterized with the higest fruit weight (10.95 g). The lowest fruit weight was obtained in cultivar 'Bugarka' (2.39 g). The fruits of the examined cultivars could be used for fresh consumption. Some of the selected sweet cherry cultivars can be used for commercial growing, while some of them can be used in breeding programs.