DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGH DENSITY CHERRIES IN GERMANY

Germany has a total of 6,000 ha of cherry orchards, of which ~1,000 ha are high density. North Germany has ~500 ha of high density cherry orchards, followed by the Rhine valley, where 20 ha are also grown under orchard covers. For German conditions, a high density cherry orchard is defined as having more than 800 trees/ha, up to a feasible maximum of 1,750 trees/ha. Generally, high density is not necessarily related to rootstock choice, but dwarfing rootstocks are now accepted as successful components for high density. The most commonly used rootstock for high density orchards in Germany is Gisela 5, while Weiroot 158 has regional importance. Other promising rootstocks are Piku 4 and Gisela 3. Gisela 5 is still considered a semi-dwarfing rather than dwarfing rootstock, indicating further potential for dwarf rootstock breeding.