Variation in fruit quality among ‘Hort16A’ kiwifruit vines in New Zealand

Abstract

SummaryWe measured fruit characteristics in 90 individual ‘Hort16A’ kiwifruit vines sampled in a grid pattern across each of three orchards (n = 270) in New Zealand to determine the variation in fruit quality between vines. Fruit fresh weight, colour, firmness, dry matter content, and fruit mineral composition were measured at harvest, and the incidence of storage disorders were scored after 24 weeks storage at 0ºC. Fruit characteristics and the concentrations of macronutrients were normally distributed within the orchards, with weak and inconsistent spatial patterns between orchards. The percentage of fruit affected by physiological pitting and low temperature breakdown (LTB) in individual vines ranged from 0 – 75%. Distributions were skewed towards a few vines with many affected fruit. In each orchard, the five most severely affected vines were responsible for 15 – 25% of the physiological pitting and 20 – 50% of the LTB recorded. There were no clear spatial patterns in the disorders, with severely affected vines adjacent to unaffected vines. Manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) concentrations in fruit were also skewed, so that a small number of vines had high concentrations. Compared with other measured attributes, relatively strong spatial patterns were found in Mn and Fe concentrations. We concluded that zonal management, to minimise variability in the quality of ‘Hort16A’ kiwifruit, is unwarranted.