Articles
The effects of shade during reserve accumulation on ‘Zesy002’ and ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit vine performance
Article number
1431_35
Pages
271 – 278
Language
English
Abstract
Light availability is vital for plant functions, including photosynthesis, to support carbohydrate production and reserve accumulation.
Poorly managed kiwifruit vines often produce excessive vegetative growth, leading to more leaf layers, denser canopies and increased shading.
We investigated the impact of shading during reserve accumulation in late summer and autumn on vine phenology and growth.
Two treatments were applied to Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis ‘Zesy002’ and A. chinensis var. deliciosa ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit: a control with no shading, and a shading treatment where 50% shade cloth covered the entire vine canopy from late February to the end of June over three consecutive growing seasons.
Our study showed that shading in autumn influenced fruit quality in the current season, with significant reductions in both the total soluble solids content and dry matter of ‘Hayward’ fruit, but had little effect on fruit fresh weight.
Shading also delayed the time taken to reach 50% budbreak in ‘Zesy002’ vines by 7-12 days and in ‘Hayward’ vines by 4-6 days in the following spring.
Shading ‘Hayward’ vines in autumn significantly reduced floral production in the following spring.
This reduced the percentage of reproductive growth compared with vegetative growth in ‘Hayward’ shoots.
Although shading appeared to influence the performance of ‘Zesy002’ vines in the following season, the effects were not significant.
Shading probably affected carbon acquisition and partitioning to both the current season’s fruit growth and reserves to support flower production in the following spring.
Therefore, shading in late summer and autumn can adversely affect vine performance, emphasizing the importance of good canopy management during this period.
Poorly managed kiwifruit vines often produce excessive vegetative growth, leading to more leaf layers, denser canopies and increased shading.
We investigated the impact of shading during reserve accumulation in late summer and autumn on vine phenology and growth.
Two treatments were applied to Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis ‘Zesy002’ and A. chinensis var. deliciosa ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit: a control with no shading, and a shading treatment where 50% shade cloth covered the entire vine canopy from late February to the end of June over three consecutive growing seasons.
Our study showed that shading in autumn influenced fruit quality in the current season, with significant reductions in both the total soluble solids content and dry matter of ‘Hayward’ fruit, but had little effect on fruit fresh weight.
Shading also delayed the time taken to reach 50% budbreak in ‘Zesy002’ vines by 7-12 days and in ‘Hayward’ vines by 4-6 days in the following spring.
Shading ‘Hayward’ vines in autumn significantly reduced floral production in the following spring.
This reduced the percentage of reproductive growth compared with vegetative growth in ‘Hayward’ shoots.
Although shading appeared to influence the performance of ‘Zesy002’ vines in the following season, the effects were not significant.
Shading probably affected carbon acquisition and partitioning to both the current season’s fruit growth and reserves to support flower production in the following spring.
Therefore, shading in late summer and autumn can adversely affect vine performance, emphasizing the importance of good canopy management during this period.
Publication
Authors
M. Mohajer, V.A. French, A.C. Richardson
Keywords
budbreak, carbon partitioning, flower production, fruit maturity, fruit size, phenology
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