Impatience and tree fruit breeding are an unlikely match, blending together as well as water and diesel. But the combination might lead to more efficient fruit breeding techniques and shorten the time required to develop new cultivars. Dr. Jim Olmstead, the new manager of the cherry breeding program at Washington State University, is in a hurry to discover new sweet cherry varieties for the Pacific Northwest. As he looks for varieties that are resistant to diseases and rain cracking, self-fertile, produce large fruit, and taste exceptional, he is also working to shorten the time involved in cherry breeding. Olmstead, a […]