Sweet cherry Meteor

American selection variety. Developed in the state of Minnesota from crossing the Montmorency variety with an unknown variety obtained from Russia (possibly Vladimirskaya or Shubinka). Selected in 1944. Included in the state variety testing in 1985.

Medium-sized tree with a sparse, flat-round crown; bark of skeletal branches dark brown. Shoots straight, upright, brown. Leaves medium-sized, 82 x 48 mm, flat, oval to inverted egg-shaped, green, semi-matte, with a pointed tip, broad-lobed base, and fine, blunt-toothed margins. Petiole 37 mm, no glands. Flowers in clusters of 3-4, 28-30 mm in diameter, with broadly oval petals, forked tips, medium-furred, non-touching petals. Stigma is at the same level or below the anthers. Pedicel short — 25 mm. Fruits borne in tree-like cherry clusters, predominantly on flower clusters of 2-5-year-old branches.

Fruits large, 18 x 18 x 18 mm, light red, weighing 4.5 g, round, slightly broad-heart-shaped with rounded apex, wide medium-depth depression, and pressed ventral side; ventral seam weakly defined. Flesh cream-pink, tender and juicy, tart-sweet, good flavor, juice slightly pink. In southern cultivation zones, fruits contain 14.0% dry matter, 10.1% sugars, 1.3% free acids, 17.8 mg ascorbic acid per 100 g fresh weight. Pit 10 x 6 x 4 mm, 0.23 g, elongated-oval to elongated-egg-shaped, smooth, makes up 5% of fruit mass, easily separates from flesh. Peduncle 30 mm, thin, moderately attached to fruit, detaches with dry separation. Fruits are suitable for fresh consumption and various processing.

Grafted plants begin fruiting 2-3 years after planting. Flowering is late; ripening is medium-late. Shows partial self-fertility; best yields occur with pollination by North Star and Oblachinskaya varieties. Good productivity: in Krasnodar Krai, on average 16 kg per tree by year 9 after planting, maximum 20 kg. Shows good resistance to low negative temperatures: after freezing at -32°C, 75% generative buds remained undamaged; at -40°C — 37%. Drought and heat resistance are average. Shows field resistance to Clasterosporosis; affected by Coccomyces up to 2.5-3 points.

Despite good resistance to low negative temperatures, the variety did not perform reliably in northern latitudes and may be recommended only for cultivation in southern gardening zones and Central Chernozem region of Russia.

Advantages: good productivity, resistance to low negative temperatures, suitability for mechanized harvesting.

Disadvantages: light coloration and uncolored juice reduce consumer quality of fruits.