Washington State University’s cherry breeding program is evolving. About a dozen selections have been chosen from nearly 100 cherry rootstocks to be planted in advanced trials in the Pacific Northwest. WSU researchers have been collaborating for nearly a decade with Michigan State University’s Dr. Amy Iezzoni in the cherry breeding project, evaluating rootstocks that were part of MSU’s tart cherry breeding program for their potential for sweet cherry rootstocks. The MSU rootstocks evaluated include crosses of Prunus cerasus, P. avium, P. canescens, and P. fruticosa. Since 1997, 91 rootstock candidates have been evaluated in Prosser and Michigan, said Dr. Jim […]