A comparison of sweet cherry planting systems and orchard tree densities in the northern Italian region of Trentino (Italy)

New high density cherry orchards were developed after the ‘90s in the region of Trentino region, using dwarfing rootstocks, the spindle training system and mid-late harvest cultivars such as ‘Kordia’ and ‘Regina’. These planting systems permitted the use of orchards covers as rain protective shields. An experimental trial was planted in 2013 to compare four innovative training systems that used the rootstock GiSelA®5 and the cultivars ‘Kordia’ and ‘Regina’. Trees to be trained to the common Spindle, the Bibaum® and the Kym Green Bush (KGB) systems were planted at 1.4 m, and the Super Slender Axe (SSA) system at 0.70 m between trees, with the same spacing of 3.70 m between rows. Biometrical and yield data, and organoleptic fruit quality data were collected annually. After nine years of production, the Bibaum® and the SSA systems reached higher cumulative yield per hectare with ‘Kordia’, while lower cumulative yield was obtained with KGB-trained ‘Regina’. Bibaum®, training also produced larger trees, followed by KGB and Spindle, while SSA-trained exhibited the least vigor. Regarding fruit quality, ‘Regina’ had higher soluble solid contents than ‘Kordia’, while within the same cultivar the differences are more influenced by crop load and the annual variability than by the training systems