A physiological disorder of sweet cherries caused by the osmotic uptake of water through the fruit skin during the ripening period. It results in the loss of crop marketability and creates conditions for secondary infection of the fruit.
In the reference
463
varieties
crop Sweet cherry,
where this is mentioned in the description.
To evaluate the resistance of sweet cherry cultivars, specialized methods are applied, such as the Werner method, which is based on immersing fruits in distilled water to determine the time until cracking begins. Instrumental measurements of skin thickness using micrometers and assessment of flesh firmness with penetrometers are also used to determine the cracking index.
High resistance to cracking is determined by genetic traits related to the elasticity and thickness of the fruit skin. Breeding for this trait is challenging because selection for increased resistance often correlates with a reduction in fruit size and a decline in flavor quality, which forces producers to implement protective covering systems to safeguard the crop from direct rainfall.
General information about the subject — on the page
Fruit cracking.
Varieties of Sweet cherry mentioned in the description
Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.