The Pacific Northwest cherry industry is seeing the effects of a shift to self-fertile varieties in the form of higher and more consistent production. Self-fertile varieties, such as Chelan, Skeena, or Sweetheart, can produce almost double the yields of standard varieties like Bing, and can still produce the large cherries that the market demands. It was more than 50 years ago that Dr. Charles Lapins, cherry breeder at Summerland, British Columbia, Canada, recognized the need for self-fertile cherries, recalls Dr. David Lane, who worked with Dr. Lapins as a student in 1967 and went on to succeed him as breeder […]