Fruit Characteristics of In Situ Collected Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) Genotypes

Native genotypes of fruit species are an important source of phenotypic variability for breeding and provide valuable material for the creation of new cultivars. Therefore, the present study was conducted to characterize and decipher the phenotypic variability of 39 native cherry genotypes (Prunus avium L.) with some bitter taste from spontaneous or cultivated flora from the Northeast European region, in Romania. The research was conducted during 2018–2022 and aimed to analyze the biochemical composition and physical characteristics of the fruits in order to identify the most useful traits for dissemination. All genotypes presented small fruits but with exceptional nutraceutical properties. The highest fruit weight was observed in G10 and G11 (3.2 g). The highest total soluble solids was found in G19 and G25 (28.2°Brix and 26.0°Brix, respectively), and in terms of antioxidant capacity, the highest level was observed in G32 and G33 (98.22% and 96.71%, respectively). In the cluster analysis, wild cherry accessions were clustered into five groups of related genotypes, indicating that they were useful for evaluating the characterization of cherry germplasm due to the superior fruit weight and phenolic compounds content. The genotypes studied represent valuable phenotypic resources for enriching the cherry gene pool and improving important horticultural traits for increasing production and thus nutrition.