The Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) is a delicious fruit originating from China, but it only became popular worldwide when its commercial cultivation began in New Zealand. The name kiwi is an allusion to the bird of the same name, from the genus Apteryx, native to New Zealand. The kiwi vine is a woody, climbing plant, usually trained with a single, twisted stem through pruning. Its leaves are broad, green, oval to heart-shaped, pubescent when young, and glabrous when mature on the upper surface.
The flowers are axillary, creamy-white, and fragrant. As a dioecious plant, the kiwi vine has both female and male individuals. In this species, cross-pollination is essential for fruit formation. Bees play a crucial role in transferring pollen from male to female flowers for fertilization. The most common commercial cultivars of female plants are: Bruno, Monty, Abbott, and Hayward; and the male ones are: Matua, Tomuri, MPV. The kiwi is a berry-type fruit, with an ovoid shape, translucent green or greenish-yellow flesh, sweet and acidic; and a thin, brown skin covered with short hairs. The numerous, small, edible black seeds are oval and flattened.
For proper flowering and fruiting, the kiwi vine requires cold, at least 500 hours below 45°F (7.2°C). Commercial kiwi cultivation can be conducted on trellises, in a T-shape, or on pergolas. For home consumption, it can be guided over trees, arches, pergolas, as an ornamental woody climber, reaching about 33 feet (10 m) in length and 49 feet (15 m) in height. It is essential to cultivate male plants alongside female ones for fruiting to occur. In commercial plantations, the ratio is 1 male plant for every 5 to 8 female plants, evenly distributed. The average spacing used is 16 to 20 feet (5 to 6 meters) between rows and between plants in the row.
It should be cultivated in full sun or partial shade, in fertile, slightly acidic, well-drained, deep soil, enriched with organic matter and periodically irrigated. It does not tolerate drought or waterlogging. Nitrogen-rich fertilization stimulates intense production but should be avoided during fruiting as it reduces the fruit’s shelf life. The kiwi vine also requires specific pruning for formation, summer, and winter.
Formation pruning aims to properly train the vine on the support, summer pruning involves weekly removal of branch tips, and winter pruning aims to shorten one-year-old branches that will bloom in the next season. It propagates by seeds, cuttings, layering, and grafting. Harvesting occurs from April to May and begins from the fourth year after planting the seedlings.
