Ken has compiled from various sources, this article about a new cherry variety bred in Japan called Juno Heart and the impact it has made in Japan.
Japan, Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture: A box of 15 Aomori Heartbeat cherries fetched 600,000 yen at an auction, surpassing last year’s 450,000 yen.
The high-end variety, Juno Heart, fetched 40,000 yen per cherry (AU$425) during this year’s first auction.
Around 50 boxes of the glossy, crimson-coloured Juno Heart cherry variety were on offer at the morning auction on June 25.
The Juno Heart was developed by an Aomori Prefecture-affiliated research centre as an upscale gift item. They are amongst the largest cherries grown in Japan.
To meet the standards of the Juno Heart, cherries must measure more than 2.8 cm in diameter and have 20° sugar content. Of the Juno Heart, only those measuring at least 3.1 cm across are called Aomori Heartbeat, making them the pick of the crop.
Fruit wholesaler made the highest bid
The successful bidder was Nagatsuka Seika, a Chiba Prefecture-based company dealing in fruits and vegetables.
“These are cherries you cannot find anywhere else,” said company president, Kyoko Nagatsuka. She said the company will sell the cherries in its shop in Chiba Prefecture close to Tokyo.
The company that sold the cherries developed a unique variety in Aomori Prefecture three years ago. It is noted that these cherries differ in their size from the Juno Heart variety, which is considered one of the largest.
Nagatsuka Seika spokesman Kyoko Nagatsuki stressed that the cherries offered for sale cannot be found in other Japanese prefectures and countries around the world. The previous record was set in 2021, when 450,000 yen was offered for a box of 15 Aomori Hearbeats.
The Aomori Prefectural Government plans to launch trial exports of the cherries and are slated to go on sale at a Japanese restaurant and a confectionery shop in Hong Kong in early July.
The Juno Heart story
Breeding a new sweet cherry cultivar, ‘Juno Heart’, and its characteristics (Article by: Takashi Kubo, Tomoko Fukasawa-Akada, Yasuki Fujimura, Yoriko Yamamichi, Yuki Kanda. Ref; ISHS cherry section ACTA.)
A new sweet cherry cultivar, ‘Juno Heart’, was selected from the cross of ‘Benisyuhou’ x ‘Summit’ (bred Summerland, British Columbia, Canada) at Kennan Fruit Tree Section, Apple Research Institute, Aomori Prefectural Industrial Technology Research Centre.
The crossing was conducted in 1998 and it was selected from 35 seedlings in 2004.
In Aomori it matures in early July (about 57 days after full bloom), about five days after ‘Satonishiki’. The fruit size is large at about 11g. The shape is short cordate. The skin colour is a yellow background colour with dark red. The flesh is firm. The fruit is sweet (19°Brix) and shows low acidity (0.53% titritable acidity).
The stone size is large, however, because the stone is semifree it is easy to remove. The S genotype is S1S6. It is pollinated by ‘Satonishiki’, ‘Benisyuhou’, ‘Nanyo’, and ‘Summit’, but it is incompatible with ‘Benisayaka’ and ‘Hokkoh’. It can be planted as a compatible pollinizer for ‘Satonishiki’.
‘Juno Heart’ is expected to provide gift or tourist farm attractions because of its attractive appearance and sweet taste.
Juno Heart workshop from Aomori prefecture in Nambu, Aomori
A workshop was held at the research centre attended by about 50 people including producers.
The person in charge explained the guidelines for the timely harvest of Juno Heart in order for producers to maximize their efforts.
It is important to remember that auctions of special fruit and vegetables always gain a higher value than normal retail sales—none more so than in Japan where specialist gift giving traditions are to the fore.
Japanese media cited for base information & photos.
See this article in Tree Fruit August 2022
