Context

The cherry business is a growing and stable market both internationally and domestically. In Catalonia it is considered a strategic crop due to the fact that we have the necessary capacity to offer a fruit that ripens earlier than in other countries, which means that we can cover a market niche that guarantees significant exports, especially to European countries.
In an effort to make this crop even more profitable, in recent years work has been carried out on the use of new plant material, in the search for improvements in production yields, as well as in the reduction of handling costs.
However, the major challenge of cherry cultivation is that it is highly perishable and is greatly affected by plot management and environmental conditions, such as excessive rainfall before harvest. Rain-induced cracking is the main cause of cherry crop loss in most production areas of the world, including Catalonia.
Climate change predictions point to an increasing frequency of excessive rainfall which is likely to increase the incidence of cherry cracking. Very few current varieties are tolerant to cracking and the mechanisms involved have not been fully identified. The physiological, biochemical, environmental, cultural, anatomical and genetic factors are unclear, as are the management strategies needed to mitigate it. Finding strategies to reduce cherry cracking is considered key to ensure productions in the coming years.