Traditional Cherry Growing in Amasya, Turkey - A Brief Overview

Abstract

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is native to some parts of northern Turkey and is grown in such areas as Tokat and Amasya, which lie between Central Anatolia and the Black Sea regions. In Amasya, cherry growing is traditional and sweet cherry orchards have a wide diversity of cultivars (∼40). Cherry trees usually are grown on 'Mahaleb' seedlings, generally tall and unpruned. In the region, dwarfing cherry rootstocks have not yet been used. The basin irrigation system is used in the area. With the wide range of cultivars, ripening ranges from the third week of April to the second week of July. The cultivar which ripens first is 'Turkoglu' (∼25 April) followed by 'Karakiraz', 'Koroglu' and 'Tabaniyank', and the latest ripening is 'Geckiraz' (∼10 July). The earlier cultivars are economically important because of early markets. Local, small-fruited cultivars in Amasya are preferred by some cherry processing companies for use in the chocolate and the confectionary industries.