PA8UNIBO* Sweet Dave® is an interesting variety due to the very early season and the uniform ripening. Fruit size is very large with 80% in the 30-32 mm and above fruit size class. The fruits are consistent, crunchy sweet and aromatic.
| Variety denomination | PA8UNIBO* Sweet Dave™ |
|---|---|
| Thematic area | Plant varieties |
| Ownership | ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA' DI BOLOGNA |
| Breeders | Riccardo Correale, Michelangelo Grandi, Stefano Lugli |
| Protection | European Community |
| Licensing status | Available for licence agreements or other types of agreements |
| Species | Prunus avium (L.) L. |
PA8UNIBO* Sweet Dave® is one of the 6 varieties of sweet cherry belonging to the Sweet Series. These varieties come from a breeding programme which began in the early 2000s at the Department of Tree Crops (now the Department of Agro-Food Sciences and Technologies) at the Alma Mater Studiorum, with a precise “target”, i.e. to obtain six or seven varieties that could cover a harvesting period of at least 30-40 days, all with a “maximum” common denominator: fruits with excellent appearance, easily recognisable organoleptic qualities, obtained from trees with high agronomic performance and productivity.
Tree: good vigour with a growth habitus that is adaptable to different training systems and planting densities. It bears very early fruits, high and constant cropping.
Flowering time: early bloom, period Burlat, self-incompatible (allelic profile: S1S4). Advised pollinators: Sweet Aryana®, Sweet Lorenz® and Marysa®
Harvest time: very early season, the period of Burlat, and uniform ripening. Long on-tree fruit lifespan.
Fruit: very large fruit size: 80% in the 30-32 mm and above fruit size class. Fruit skin is deep mahogany red and shiny at maturation (6 in CTIFL colour scale). The pulp is consistent, crunchy sweet and aromatic, with a good balance between sugar-acidity content.
Patents and Trade Marks:
- Community plant variety rights application (EU plant variety rights, c/o CPVO) (Status: pending) held by Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna.
- EU trade mark Sweet Dave® (Status: pending) filed by the University of Bologna.
Lugli, S.; Grandi, M.; Novak, B.; Ravaioli, A. (2019): Sweet Dave, nuova varietà a maturazione precoce. In: Frutticoltura, 2019, 3.