Physiological Analysis of Buds Dormancy in Sweet Cherry

Bud dormancy is the rest period that enables temperate fruit trees to protect sensitive tissue from unfavorable climatic conditions. This period is characterized by the accumulation of certain amount of cold temperatures - the chilling requirements - that are necessary for breaking dormancy and subsequent successful flowering.

The mechanisms involved in dormancy induction, maintenance and release are still poorly understood. In order to identify key pathways controlling the dormancy process in sweet cherry flower buds, we investigated several key metabolites, including sugars and amino acids, during the dormancy period in a low chill cultivar ‘Cristobalina’ and a high chill cultivar ‘Regina’.

Upon dormancy release, a complex metabolic shift takes place, and the time course of several metabolites enables describing different metabolic phases of dormancy. In particular, the time lag between the decrease /increase of some metabolites in the two cultivars suggests that they are good markers for dormancy release.