Editing Prunus cerasus (section)

== Cultivation ==
Cultivated sour cherries were selected from wild specimens of ''Prunus cerasus'' from around the [[Caspian Sea|Caspian]] and [[Black Sea]]s,<ref name="Quero-García et al 2019"/> and were known to the [[Greece|Greek]]s in 300 BC. They were also used by [[Persia]]ns and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] who introduced them into [[Great Britain|Britain]] long before the 1st century AD.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022|reason= the Romans only arrived in Britain in the 1st century AD, so this is not possible?}}

In England, their cultivation was popularized in the 16th century in the time of [[Henry VIII]]. They became a common crop amongst Kentish growers, and by 1640 over two dozen named [[cultivar]]s were recorded.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Before the [[Second World War]] there were more than fifty cultivars of sour cherry in cultivation in England; today, however, few are grown commercially, and despite the continuation of named cultivars such as 'Kentish Red', 'Amarelles', 'Griottes' and 'Flemish', only the generic Morello is offered by most nurseries. This is a late-flowering variety, and thus misses more frosts than its sweet counterpart and is therefore a more reliable cropper. The Morello cherry ripens in mid to late summer, toward the end of August in southern England. It is self-fertile, and would be a good [[pollenizer]] for other varieties if it did not flower so late in the season.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Sour cherries require similar cultivation conditions to [[pear]]s, that is, they prefer a rich, well-drained, moist [[soil]], although they demand more [[nitrogen]] and [[water]] than sweet cherries. Trees will do badly if waterlogged, but have greater tolerance of poor drainage than sweet varieties. As with sweet cherries, Morellos are traditionally cultivated by budding onto strong growing rootstocks, which produce trees too large for most gardens, although newer dwarfing rootstocks such as ''Colt'' and ''Gisella'' are now available. During spring, flowers should be protected, and trees weeded, mulched and sprayed with natural seaweed solution. This is also the time when any required [[pruning]] should be carried out (note that cherries should not be pruned during the dormant winter months). Morello cherry trees fruit on younger wood than sweet varieties, and thus can be pruned harder. They are usually grown as standards, but can be fan trained, cropping well even on cold walls, or grown as low bushes.<ref name="msu"/>

Sour cherries suffer fewer pests and diseases than sweet cherries, although they are prone to heavy fruit losses from [[bird]]s. In summer, fruit should be protected with netting. When harvesting fruit, they should be cut from the tree rather than risking damage by pulling the stalks.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Unlike most sweet cherry varieties, sour cherries are [[self-fertile]] or self-[[pollenizer|pollenizing]]<!-- Not 'self-pollinating' -->. Two implications of this are that seeds generally run true to the cultivar, and that much smaller [[pollinator]] populations are needed because pollen only has to be moved within individual flowers. In areas where pollinators are scarce, growers find that [[pollination management|stocking beehives]] in orchards improves yields.<ref name="msu">{{Cite web |url=https://www.oakgov.com/msu/Documents/publications/oc0089_cherries.pdf |title=Growing cherries|publisher=Michigan State University, Extension-Oakland County|date=2012 |access-date=2016-11-01 |archive-date=2017-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001035/https://www.oakgov.com/msu/Documents/publications/oc0089_cherries.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; 13em; text-align:center;"
|+ Sour cherry production<br><small>2022, in tonnes<ref name="faostat">[[Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database|FAOSTAT]] of the [[United Nations]]{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC|title=Production of sour cherries in 2022; Pick lists by Crops/Regions/Production Quantity/Year|date=2024|publisher=United Nations, [[Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database]]|access-date=10 July 2024}}</ref><br /></small>
|-
|{{RUS}} ||297,200
|-
|{{POL}} ||183,800
|-
|{{UKR}} ||180,240
|-
|{{TUR}} ||176,770
|-
|{{SRB}} ||164,446
|-
|{{IRN}} ||134,055
|-
|{{USA}} ||110,770
|-
|'''World''' ||'''1,593,025'''
|}