Kiwifruit

Article By:

Hasey, Janine K. Cooperative Extension, University of California, Yuba City, California.

Last reviewed:January 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.757315

A vigorous deciduous fruiting vine (family Actinidiaceae), and the name of the fruit itself, that is native to central China, where it commonly grows in moist and sheltered areas on the forest edges. Kiwifruit (Fig. 1), which belongs to the plant order Ericales (alternatively Theales in some classifications), requires both the female cultivar and a male pollenizer for successful fruit production. The kiwifruit industry depends on a single female cultivar, Hayward, whose fruit has a creamy-white central core, black-brown seeds, and a bright translucent green outer flesh surrounded by a light-brown fuzzy skin (Fig. 2). Kiwifruit vines are adapted to moderate climates in the temperate zone and require 600–850 h of winter chilling [temperatures between 0 and 7°C (32 and 45°F)] to ensure uniform budbreak (initiation of growth from a bud). Kiwifruit wood is susceptible to winter injury at temperatures below −10°C (14°F), and flower buds can be damaged by frost below −1.5°C (29°F). See also: Ericales; Fruit; Horticultural crops; Theales

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