Yamagata Benio: Japan’s New Cherry Variety Attracts Attention

The latest season for Japan’s new cherry variety, Yamagata Benio, recently concluded. The production volume reached approximately 70 metric tons, more than double that of last year.

Adding to Japan’s reputation for high-end fruits, Yamagata Benio was first developed in 1997 by the Horticultural Division of the Yamagata Prefectural Agricultural Research Center through hybridization using Beni-Shuhō and other varieties as parent stocks. The new variety was submitted for registration in 2009 and officially registered in March 2020. This year marks the third official year of its commercial release.

Yamagata Benio reaches full bloom in late April, and the harvest season typically spans from late June to early July. The fruit is plump and juicy and features a firm flesh and vibrant color. It has a high sugar content (around 20 Brix), low acidity and an average weight exceeding 10 grams. All of this is coupled with a long shelf life. Premium-grade cherries with sizes ranging from 3L (28–31 millimeters, ca. 11 grams) to 4L (31–34 millimeters, ca. 14 grams) are selected and sold as gift-quality produce, retailing at up to 12,800 Japanese yen ($87.32) per kilogram.

Yamagata Prefecture is Japan’s largest cherry-producing region, accounting for around 75% of the country’s total cherry production. This year, owing to lower temperatures during the blooming period and rainfall during the ripening period causing fruit cracking, total cherry production dropped to about 8,600–9,700 metric tons, nearing historical lows. However, Yamagata Benio saw a significant increase in output due to an expansion in cultivation area.

Image: Unsplash

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.