BOTH SELF-STERILE AND SELF-FERTILE SOUR CHERRIES NEED INSECT (BEE) POLLINATION

Pollination experiments were conducted with one self-sterile and four self-fertile sour cherry cultivars. Fruit set was reduced when the duration of the effective bee pollination period was limited. Fruit set of self-fertile cultivars was much less sensitive to partial limitations of bee activity. A complete lack of bees resulted in commercially unprofitable levels of fruit set even for self-fertile cultivars. Thus, self-sterile and self-fertile sour cherries are essentially equal in their need for insect (bee) pollination to set a profitable yield.