Lower Saxony expects good yields of cherries and excellent quality

The cherry harvest has been going on for a few days now in Lower Saxony. The first fresh produce, which comes mainly from the Alte Land Country near Hamburg, is now available in stores and at weekly markets. The experts of the Chamber of Agriculture of Lower Saxony forecast a good yield of up to ten tons per hectare (t/ha) and fruits of excellent quality. "The fruit growers can really use that as well, because the past year saw a catastrophic harvest with only 1.6 t/ha," says dr. Matthias Görgens from the Chamber of Fruit Orchard Research Institute (OVA) in Jork (Stade district).

The reason for Görgens' optimistic harvest forecast for 2018 is the good starting conditions the cherries had in April. The flowering time was frost-free and the temperatures were ideal for the bees. It was followed by a lot of sunshine and optimal temperatures, which let to many plump fruits.

The long-lasting drought could not harm the cherry trees. "It even had a positive effect, because unlike in the last, very wet year, this year there were hardly any fruits that burst," says Görgens. Furthermore, a good half of all trees on the Lower Elbe are in foil tunnels and so they are irrigated anyway. The remaining half is mostly on ground with a high water level.

"Due to the high temperatures of the last few weeks, the harvest will be a week shorter than usual," says the fruit-growing expert. The last local cherries will probably be for sale already in mid-July. Until then, one or two new cherry varieties would be harvested each week, because the genetic characteristics of the varieties influence their respective maturing date. Every farm grows several varieties, in order to be able to offer fresh cherries for as long as possible.

One of the tasks of the OVA is to test cherry varieties and make recommendations for their cultivation. In addition, the Jork-based institute has also developed its own varieties, including the now internationally significant "Regina". About 20 cherry varieties currently have great economic importance on the Lower Elbe. In addition, there is a multiple of older varieties, which are grown on a smaller scale.

According to the statistics office in Hanover, just over 1,600 tons of cherries were harvested in Lower Saxony in 2017. If Görgens' prediction is correct, it will be around 5,000 tons this year. The main growing area for cherries in Lower Saxony is the Alte Land. There, 420 farms mainly grow sweet cherries on around 500 ha. A good half of this, some 220 ha, are under foil roofs to protect the sensitive fruits from heavy rain. In Germany, around 5,500 ha of cherries are cultivated, on 6,600 farms.

Source: LWK Lower Saxony