SELECTION AND EVALUATION OF LATE FLOWERING POLLINIZERS IN ACTINIDIA DELICIOSA

Nine kiwifruit male selections including the standard New Zealand cultivars ‘Matua’ and ‘Tomuri’, three cultivars of the New Zealand M series, namely ‘M51’, ‘M52’, and ‘M54’, and four genotypes, ‘M1’, ‘M3h’, ‘M5’, and ‘T2’, collected by Italian growers and nurserymen, were evaluated over three seasons (1992–94).

Ten new male genotypes, coded ‘6.063’, ‘8.191’, ‘9.357’, ‘9.594’, ‘9.660’, ‘11.106’, ‘11.130’, ‘12.255’, ‘12.301’, and ‘15.043’, selected from 2246 male seedlings of a large breeding program started in 1986 at the University of Udine were also evaluated, as potential pollinizers for the female cultivar ‘Hayward’ over two seasons (1992–93).

The flowering time and duration, the number of flowers per dichasium, and the ‘in vitro‘ germination of pollen were assayed.
The capability of fruit-sizing and seed-setting were also evaluated in the new selections throughout controlled fertilization of the cv. ‘Hayward’.

All commonly-known male selections started flowering two to six days ahead of ‘Hayward’ depending on genotype and season.
In most cases the central flowers of the dichasia dropped before ‘Hayward’ started flowering.
We consider all these males unsuitable as pollinizers for ‘Hayward’ and other late flowering female cultivars such as ‘Top Star®’.

All new male selections overlapped the flowering time of ‘Hayward’ better than the well-known ones.
Most of them also performed well as far as pollen germination, fruitsizing, and seed-setting are concerned.
Two male selections, ‘6.063’ and ‘12.255’, have been selected for further testing in different kiwifruit growing areas.

III International Symposium on Kiwifruit

R. Testolin, G. Cipriani, L. Gottardo, G. Costa

Kiwifruit, breeding, male selections, male cultivars, pollination, fruit sizing, seed set

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.444.15