Abstract
The conventional cultivation methods for sweet cherry involve two difficult problems; The trees become too tall and take over 10 years before bearing substantial fruit. We examined the Y-trellis training method to resolve these problems, and found that the Y-trellis training could solve the problems on a practical level; reducing the number of years until bearing fruit and lowering the height of the trees. In the present study, a new cultivation method by hedge-row training was tried to reduce the period till bearing fruit, create smaller trees and produce higher yields compared with those by Y-trellis training. In this training, the harvest started in the fourth year after planting; the target tree shape was attained in the fifth year; and the yield increased markedly. The fruits obtained from hedge-row training and the Y-trellis had higher quality, larger size and more favorable surface color, as well as their smaller variances, compared to those with open-center training.
