FA1104 - Sustainable production of high-quality cherries for the European market

This Action aims at creating a dynamic network of scientists and other professionals conducting research to improve sweet or sour cherry production in Europe, the main cherry producer. Cherries are highly appreciated fruits for their taste and nutritional properties. Their production is economically important for many fruit growers in almost every European region but there is a need for coordinated research. Therefore, this network will address all research aspects related to cherry production, commercialisation, and consumption. It will be multidisciplinary and will involve scientists working in the fields of plant breeding, genetics, genomics, agronomy, physiology, phytopathology, entomology, microbiology, post-harvest technology, and socio-economics. A special emphasis will be placed on key EU priorities such as the promotion of sustainable agriculture and adaptation to climate change. Expected deliverables will be the exchange of data between research teams, the adoption of common experimental protocols, the implementation of predictive models in the fields of epidemiology and tree phenology, and the establishment of coordinated European marker-assisted selection strategies, including multi-location field trials. Beneficiaries will include not only breeders and producers but consumers as well, through the availability of better cherries.