Several physical, chemical and color characteristics of 20 sweet cherry cultivars cultured in Spain were investigated during a 3-year (2004-06) period. A total of 26 descriptors, mainly defined by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants were used to describe and compare the fruit quality of the main Spanish sweet cherry cultivars for fresh consumption and for industrial use. Some of the studied cultivars showed distinctive and interesting agronomical characters from a commercial point of view such as low susceptibility to fruit cracking and high soluble solids and total polyphenols levels. This was the case with the late cultivar widely distributed through the Jerte river valley called "Pico Negro." Its fruits were quite sweet (20.28°Brix), resistant to cracking (9.44%) and rich in polyphenols (1.60 g of gallic acid per 100 g dry weight). " were the improved cultivars that recorded the highest levels for weight of 100 fruits parameter (828.61 and 825.22 g, respectively) and the local cultivar "Corazón Serrano" showed the largest fruits (8.56 cm 3 ). PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThere have been no previous detailed studies describing and comparing the fruit quality characteristics of a wide number of sweet cherry cultivars. Studies including physical and chemical properties of sweet cherry fruits are 1 Corresponding

The use of compost teas is of great interest to sustainable agriculture. Aerated compost tea (ACT) and aerated vermicompost tea (AVT) originating from garden waste have been analytically characterized and tested in vitro and in vivo on tomato plants to determine their suppressive effect on Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. The nitrogen (N, 3840 ppm) and potassium superoxide (K 2 O, 5800 ppm) contents were relevant in ACT. Both ACT and AVT were shown to contain indoleacetic acid IAA (80-20 mg L-1), salicylic acid (5.85-1.33 ng L-1) and humic acids (190-140 mg L-1). Direct confrontation assays against the pathogens showed that ACT had a high suppressive effect on F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (relative growth of the pathogen [RG]: 12 %) and AVT had a high suppressive effect on R. solani (RG: 18 %). These suppressive effects have been confirmed by tests performed in vitro and on potted tomato plants. Results of plants growth assays showed that both teas can be applied, in their concentrated forms, to the growth medium. The analysis of the growth effect of the teas on tomato plants clearly indicated that both ACT and AVT, when applied weekly, produce a positive effect on shoot and root dry weight (dry weights were tripled), chlorophyll content and stem diameter compared to untreated plants. These results support the use of ACT and AVT as potential alternatives to the application of synthetic fungicides, and as plant promoters in crop production, for attaining environmental sustainability for farming and food safety.

Thirty-one traditional cultivars [26 sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.), four duke cherry (Prunus × gondouinii Rehd.), and one sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.)] from Sierra de Francia and Arribes del Duero in Central-Western Spain were surveyed and characterized agromorphologically. A total of 37 descriptors, mainly def ined by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants were used to describe flowers, leaves, fruits and the tree itself over a 3 consecutive years. This made possible the unequivocal identification of 25 cultivars. A dendrogram gave a clear separation between the sour, duke and sweet cherry cultivars and showed existing synonymies and homonymies. This work is an important step in the conservation of genetic cherry resources in the province of Salamanca (Spain), which show distinctive and interesting agronomical characters such as low susceptibility to fruit cracking, high levels of soluble solids, early fruit maturity and great rusticity.Additional key words: cherry descriptors, conservation, endangered cultivars, fruit parameters, genetic resources, homonymies, synonymies. ResumenCaracterización agromorfológica de cultivares tradicionales españoles de Prunus avium L., Prunus cerasus L. y Prunus × × gondouinii Rehd.Veintiséis cultivares de cerezo (Prunus avium L.), un cultivar de guindo (Prunus cerasus L.) y cuatro cultivares del híbrido de ambos (Prunus × gondouinii Rehd.), originarios de las zonas de Sierra de Francia y de Arribes del Duero, en el centro-oeste español, han sido prospectados y caracterizados desde el punto de vista agromorfológico. Un total de 37 descriptores, la mayoría definidos por el International Plant Genetic Resources Institute y por la International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants fueron usados para describir flores, hojas, frutos y el árbol durante un periodo consecutivo de tres años, permitiendo la inequívoca identificación de 25 cultivares. El dendrograma de relación entre cultivares elaborado permite diferenciar claramente los cultivares de cerezo, guindo e híbrido estudiados y muestra la existencia de sinonimias y homonimias. El trabajo realizado constituye un paso importante para la conservación de estos recursos genéticos presentes en la provincia de Salamanca (España) que muestran caracteres agronómicos interesantes y distintivos tales como baja susceptibilidad al rajado, altos niveles de sólidos solubles, maduración temprana y gran rusticidad.Palabras clave adicionales: conservación, cultivares en peligro, descriptores de cerezo, homonimias, parámetros de fruto, recursos genéticos, sinonimias.

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