Examination of the Suitability of Different Pollinators for Four Sweet Cherry Cultivars Commonly Grown in Poland

Abstract

Abstract The aim of the work was to select pollinators for sweet cherry cultivars: ‘Vanda’, ‘Techlovan’, ‘Syl–via’ and ‘Regina’, which are of great economic significance in Poland. As pollinators, three or four different cultivars with the same or similar flowering time as the pollinated cultivars were evaluated annually. The pollinators belonged to different incompatibility groups. Pollination was carried out over four consecutive seasons. Assuming that for a good yield more than 20% of the flowers should develop fruits, a good polli–nator for the cv. ‘Vanda’ was ‘Techlovan’, and for the cv. ‘Regina’ - ‘Sylvia’. The cv. ‘Techlovan’ was pollinated to best effect by ‘Vega’, and the cv. ‘Sylvia’ by ‘Regina’, but the setting of fruits in the last two combinations was moderately good. Low to moderately good fruit setting but depending on the year was observed in the combinations ‘Sylvia’ x ‘Summit’, ‘Regina’ x ‘Summit’, and ‘Regina’ x ‘Rainier’. Cultivar ‘Summit’ for ‘Sylvia’, and ‘Summit’ and ‘Rainier’ for the cv. ‘Regina’ should not be used as pollinators because the low percentage of fruit set obtained annually does not guarantee a satisfactory yield.