Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus) SHALUNYA

Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus) 'Shalunya'

A Ukrainian duke cherry with large fruits and high disease resistance.

'Shalunya' (Шалунья) is a leading Ukrainian variety, considered a hybrid of sour and sweet cherry. It is one of the main commercial varieties in Ukraine due to its high yield, early entry into bearing, and the excellent flavour of its large fruits. It is also characterized by high resistance to moniliosis and shot hole disease, making it a reliable and productive choice.

Main advantages of the variety:

• High yield (up to 40 kg per tree) and early entry into bearing.
• Large fruits with an excellent dessert flavour (rating 4.8/5).
• High resistance to moniliosis and shot hole disease.
• Good frost and drought resistance.

Origin and Registration

• Country of origin: Ukraine
• Breeders: V. A. Turovtseva, N. I. Turovtsev
• Institution: M. F. Sidorenko Institute of Irrigated Horticulture of the UAAS
• Crossing: ‘Samsonovka’ × ‘Kievskaya-19’
• Registration: Included in the State Register in 1997.

Variety Characteristics

Tree

• Growth: Medium-vigorous, fast-growing, reaches a height of 4 m.
• Crown: Spreading, globular, medium density.
• Fruiting habit: Bears fruit on bouquet spurs and on one-year-old wood.
• Pollination: It is cross-pollinated.

Fruit

• Size and weight: Large, uniform, with an average weight of 5 – 8 g.
• Shape and colour: Oblate, dark red to almost black.
• Flesh and juice: The flesh is dark red, tender, and juicy.
• Flavour: Dessert-like, sweet-tart, refreshing (rating 4.8/5).
• Stone: Small, round, easily separable from the flesh.
• Use: Versatile.

Resistance and Requirements

• Frost resistance: High. The wood is very resistant; flower buds can be damaged by extremely severe frosts. Flowers are relatively resistant to spring frosts.
• Disease resistance: High resistance to moniliosis and shot hole disease.
• Drought resistance: Resistant.

Cultivation Recommendations

• To ensure a harvest, it is essential to plant another sour cherry variety nearby as a pollinator.

Harvest and Storage

• Harvest time: Mid-early (third decade of June).
• Yield: High (10-year-old trees yield 30–40 kg).
• Entry into bearing: Early, in the 3rd to 4th year after planting.