Articles
ECOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF KIWIFRUIT (ACTINIDIA DELICIOSA)
Article number
282_6
Pages
65 – 78
Language
Abstract
Kiwifruit is the most recent fruit crop to be grown and marketed successfully in the world.
Lack of the understanding of the response of this plant to different environmental parametres has led to many failures.
Much information has come to hand.
Climatically kiwifruit is a warm temperate plant which is commercially adapted to the warm temperate and cool subtropical regions (20° to 46 ° Lat.
N & S). Temperature related stresses such as freeze damage, unsatisfactory bud break and moisture stress, easily make a kiwifruit enterprise uneconomical.
The effect of a lack of winter chilling, can be alleviated by pre-budbreak sprays of Hydrogen Cyanamide (DormexR). Although light intensity is an important climatic parameter, the effect of low light intensities is less critical than temperature extremes.
Kiwifruit is very sensitive to soils of poor chemical and physical quality which oftens make the effect of high temperature stress during summer more severe.
The plant is extremely sensitive to wind and hail, but is sensitive to only a few biotic factors (insects and diseases). Insufficient knowledge is available on the response of kiwifruit to environmental parameters.
Hence short term research be directed towards the quantification of water and nutritional requirements, methods to alleviate high temperature stress in winter, the physiology of high temperature stress, and the quantification of photosynthetic active radiation.
Such research should be done in relation to cultural practices and regional requirements.
Long term research should be directed towards breeding and selection of suitably adapted cultivars and rootstocks.
Lack of the understanding of the response of this plant to different environmental parametres has led to many failures.
Much information has come to hand.
Climatically kiwifruit is a warm temperate plant which is commercially adapted to the warm temperate and cool subtropical regions (20° to 46 ° Lat.
N & S). Temperature related stresses such as freeze damage, unsatisfactory bud break and moisture stress, easily make a kiwifruit enterprise uneconomical.
The effect of a lack of winter chilling, can be alleviated by pre-budbreak sprays of Hydrogen Cyanamide (DormexR). Although light intensity is an important climatic parameter, the effect of low light intensities is less critical than temperature extremes.
Kiwifruit is very sensitive to soils of poor chemical and physical quality which oftens make the effect of high temperature stress during summer more severe.
The plant is extremely sensitive to wind and hail, but is sensitive to only a few biotic factors (insects and diseases). Insufficient knowledge is available on the response of kiwifruit to environmental parameters.
Hence short term research be directed towards the quantification of water and nutritional requirements, methods to alleviate high temperature stress in winter, the physiology of high temperature stress, and the quantification of photosynthetic active radiation.
Such research should be done in relation to cultural practices and regional requirements.
Long term research should be directed towards breeding and selection of suitably adapted cultivars and rootstocks.
Publication
Authors
J. de V. Lötter
Keywords
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