Washington State University Cherry Cultivar Releases



Index™
Parents: Stella x unknown
Cross made in 1972 by Tom Toyama.
Tested as PC7222-1.

Index sweet cherry Index sweet cherry

U.S. Plant Patent (#10459) and trademark assigned to Washington State University Research Foundation
and licensed in North America to the Northwest Nursery Improvement Institute.

     Index™ is an early-to-mid-season, export-quality dark red sweet cherry. Similar to Bing in appearance with a somewhat flattened dorsal side, the fruit is large in size, with a glossy mahogany red skin and medium red flesh. It ripens 4 to 6 days before Bing, has good firmness, and excellent flavor. The susceptibility to rain-induced cracking is comparable to Bing.


Index sweet cherry Index sweet cherry

     Index™ produces a tree that is similar in branching angle to Bing. Its productivity is very good. Index™ begins blooming several days ahead of Bing, overlapping very well with Chelan™ in the Pacific Northwest. It is self-fertile and thus can pollinate other cultivars with similar bloom times. The chilling requirement of Index™ is not yet known, but is presumed to be similar to Bing.

     Production and compatibility of Index™ on rootstocks other than Mazzard is unknown at this time.