Summerland cherry breeder Dr. Cheryl Hampson’s objective is to develop cherries that are large, firm, and sweet, have good stems, and are productive. For the past 50 years, the focus of the program has been on developing self-fertile varieties. Hampson still prefers new varieties to be self-fertile, but if a cultivar has other great attributes, it’s not essential, she says. “If we continue to adopt dwarfing rootstocks, the non-self-fertile varieties can be quite productive on those rootstocks.” Whereas self-fertile varieties on some of the smaller rootstocks can overcrop and produce small fruit, the non-self-fertile varieties might be a good fit. […]