Comparison of winter hardiness and growth of Actinidia arguta and A. kolomikta cultivars grown in central Poland

Adam Marosz

doi:10.5586/aa.2009.040

Abstract

A field experiment with Actinidia arguta and A. kolomikta cultivars purchased from a commercial nursery was conducted in Skierniewice, central Poland. Both Actinidia arguta and A. kolomikta cultivars were planted in June 2005 at a spacing of 3 × 2.2 m. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of climate conditions on the growth of eight cultivars of small kiwi fruit and to evaluate their usefulness for orchard culture in central Poland. After three years of growth in different climate conditions, including one of the coldest winters (2005/06) during the last years, and also severe late spring frosts (2007), some conclusion can be drawn. Two cultivars of Actinidia kolomikta have shown quite good resistance to winter and spring frosts, but the growth rate of these plants was rather slow. All the cultivars of Actinidia arguta were damaged by frost during the 2005/06 winter due to the snow-cover level, which was rather thick (24 cm). One year later all new shoots and leaves of Actinidia arguta cultivars were damaged completely by late spring frosts, which deleted flowering and fruit setting for at least one year. After three years of growth observations, the growth rate of small kiwi cultivars can be divided into three groups: fast growing with 'Jumbo' and 'Genewa'; moderate growing with 'Issai', 'Ken's Red' and 'Weiki' - male and female, and slow growing with A. kolomikta cultivars Dr Szymanowski and Sientiabrskaja.

Highlights

In northern areas, low temperature is the major environmental factor limiting productivity and geographical distribution of horticultural plants
In Poland cultivars of Actinidia arguta and A. kolomikta are fast growing climbers propagated by specialty nurseries and offered on the market as ornamental plants
Evaluation of frost damage Strong frost damage on almost all the cultivars grown was noted after the 2005/06 winter, the period of low temperatures lasted quite short, no longer than two days (Fig. 1)

Summary

Introduction

Low temperature is the major environmental factor limiting productivity and geographical distribution of horticultural plants. Cold hardiness, defined as the ability of plants to withstand sub-freezing temperatures without sustaining significant damage, is an important criterion for evaluation of the cultivation potential of a species or cultivar, and for breeding or selection work (Linden , 2002). In Poland cultivars of Actinidia arguta and A. kolomikta are fast growing climbers propagated by specialty nurseries and offered on the market as ornamental plants. Sometimes, they are cultivated for edible fruits, there are no existing orchards in Poland yet. Looking for new plants that can be grown commercially and that are valuable for human health is an important task for horticultural science

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