Santina

Cherry

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Van', 'Lapins' and 'Summit'

Summary: 'Santina' is a self-fertile sweet cherry variety which produces smaller and less sweet fruit than the reference varieties. The fruit is cordate in shape whereas 'Van' has kidney-shaped fruit and 'Lapins' is round. The main distinguishing characteristic of 'Santina' is the fruit maturity date which is on average 8 to 10 days earlier than 'Van' in Summerland, British Columbia.

Description:

'Santina' is a sweet cherry variety which has spreading to drooping trees with a dense leaf canopy. The one-year-old shoots have a horizontal to drooping attitude, no pubescence and weak anthocyanin colouration. There are very few or no flower buds on the one-year-old shoots. The vegetative buds are conical in shape and held out from the shoot. The current year's shoot of 'Santina' has no pubescence and no anthocyanin colouration at the tip. The leaves are elliptical in shape with an acute angle at the tip and rounded base. The leaf apex is cuspidate and the profile in cross section is concave. There is no pubescence on the lower side of the leaf and no variegation or anthocyanin colouration on the upper side. The leaves of 'Santina' are medium green with moderate glossiness. The leaf margins biserrate and the indentations are medium to deep. 'Santina' leaves turn yellow bronze to green bronze just before leaf fall. The petioles have anthocyanin colouration and usually two to three purple, kidney-shaped nectaries. 'Santina' flowers moderately intensely and produces single-type, white flowers in clusters. The flower bud is white. There is no pubescence on the pedicel. The flower petals are obovate and are free to partly touching. There is red anthocyanin colouration on the rim of the ovary. The anthers are yellow and produce pollen. The pistil is normal. The variety is self-fertile.

'Santina' produces large, cordate shaped fruit that is ovate in lateral view. The largest diameter is towards the middle of the fruit. The skin is mahogani to black with many small light coloured dots. The suture is weakly prominent. The flesh of 'Santina' fruit is dark red to purple and moderately firm. The juice is dark red to purple. The fruit apex is flat to slightly pointed and the stalk is thin and medium in length. The stone is large, symmetrical and non-adherent to the flesh. The stone cavity is large and there is a pubescent lining on the cavity walls. In lateral view the stone is intermediate in shape between spherical and elongate. In front view and basal view it is round. The keel is strongly developed.

'Santina' produces a medium to high amount of fruit. The variety flowers mid-season, at the same time as bud burst. The fruit matures very early, on average about 10 days before 'Van' in Summerland.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Santina' is the result of a cross between the seed parent 'Stella' and the pollen parent 'Summit' which was made in 1973 at the Summerland Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia. The seedling cross was designated 13S-5-22 in 1981 and was given the name 'Santina' in 1998. Two propagations were made on Prunus avium rootstock and planted out in a trial block at the Summerland Research Centre in 1984. Evaluation on the selection began upon fruiting. 'Santina' was selected for maturity date, fruit size, firmness, field splits, fruit shape, skin and flesh colour, fertility, luster, productivity and precocity.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials for 'Santina' were conducted in 1998 and 1999 at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Summerland, British Columbia. The trials consisted of 5 trees of each variety, on F12/1 rootstock.

Comparison tables for 'Santina' with reference varieties 'Van', 'Lapins' and 'Summit'

Average fruit weight (g)

Length of fruit stalk (mm)

Soluble solid concentration (%)

Titratable acids (mL NaOH to raise 10mL juice to pH 8.1)

Susceptibility to rain-induced cracking (%)