Focus of Working

This Working Group was established in 2013 as an initiative of COST Action FA1104, ‘Sustainable Production of High-Quality Cherries for the European Market’. The network addresses all aspects of cherry production, commercialization, and consumption. It is highly multidisciplinary, involving scientists in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, agronomy, physiology, phytopathology, entomology, microbiology, post-harvest technology, and socio-economics. Special emphasis is placed on key EU priorities such as the promotion of sustainable agriculture, adaptation to climate change, and the development of high-quality fruits from a nutraceutical perspective.

Expected deliverables include the exchange of data between research teams, adoption of common experimental protocols, implementation of predictive models in epidemiology and tree phenology, and the establishment of coordinated European marker-assisted selection strategies, including multi-location field trials. Benefits will primarily concern breeders and producers but will also extend to consumers through the promotion of better cherries and new food products.

Activities

2016
Meeting: FA1104 COST Cherry meeting, Naousa, Greece, 4-8 April 2016

2015
Meeting: In 2015 there will be no ‘big’ meeting within our COST Action gathering all the different Action Working Groups (WG).
Instead, specific meetings have been already organised:

• WG2 Meeting at Trebinje, Bosnia (10-11/ 02/15): Rootstocks and training system
• WG1 Meeting at Firenze, Italy (26-27/03/2015): Long term preservation of woody species by cryo-techniques
• WG3 Meeting at Izmir, Turkey (22/04/2015): Joint meeting with the 2nd International Workshop on Bacterial diseases of Stone Fruits and Nuts

Cherry Working Group summary 2015

2014
Meeting: A big meeting was organized at Bordeaux, France, during the period 13-15 October. There were 72 delegates from 28 different countries. Over the three-day meeting there were 27 oral presentations and 46 posters. During the first day, after a welcome message and a presentation of the status of the Action by the Chair, general presentations were made in the morning. In the afternoon, participants were split into different working group (WG) break-out sessions.

During the second day, in the morning, WG break-out sessions were continued and were mostly devoted to scientific presentations (see Minutes for each WG). By the end of the morning, all WG met together in order to share their conclusions. In the afternoon, the Management Committee meeting was held (see MC Minutes). During the evening, a guided visit of the old Bordeaux center was organized, before sharing the gala dinner in the Café Opéra.

On day 3, a field trip was organized with different visits:

First, all participants met at the INRA site of La Grande Ferrade, in Villenave d’Ornon. On behalf of Hubert de Rochambeau, president of INRA-Bordeaux and of Thierry Candresse, Director of BFP (‘Biologie et Pathologie du Fruit’) Unit, Christian Chevalier, Vice-Director of BFP, made two oral presentations. Subsequently, the research team A3C, which is integrated into BFP Unit, was presented by its leader, Elisabeth Dirlewanger. These presentations were made within the main Amphitheater of INRA-Bordeaux. This was followed by a quick visit of the experimental devices (greenhouses and tunnels) of A3C team.

The group was then conducted to the Sauternais Region, at 40 kms from Bordeaux. A quick visit of the ‘Maison du Sauternais’ allowed participants to taste this prestigious ‘liquoreux’ wine, and to understand the main features of its production, before lunch. The INRA Fruit Tree Experimental Unit was then visited. We were kindly welcomed by the Unit’s Director, Marie-Laure Greil, and the INRA technical staff working on the cherry orchards.

Finally, the INRA Wine Experimental Unit of Couhins was visited and allowed participants to taste INRA white and red wines of the famous appellation ‘Pessac-Léognan’. These ‘degustation’ was leaded by Romain Baillou.