Cut brings new kiwifruit

Press, 8 October 1987, Page 16

Cut brings new kiwifruit

SUZANNE KEEN

A kiwifruit plant that was clipped over the vines while young has produced a new variety of the fruit which may greatly increase growers’ yields. The first of the new kiwifruit variety was created when the Brodie family, of Gisborne, acct- - dentally cut off a young vine at ground level during a mowing job. A shoot grew from the rootstock and the vine was not replaced. A few years later, when the vine . produced a . crop, the

family noticed some obvious differences between its fruit and that of the established Hayward variety. Mr Ted Crawford, head of research and development at Turners and Growers Exports, said that some of the advantages of the Brodie variety included a smaller, tenderer core, a strong emerald-green flesh that was 'retained in late cool storage, a sweeter taste with a distinct strawberry - flavour, and a better cropping abflity.

-Mr Tom Brodie and;/ Turners and Growers staff | at Gisborne did a count ot ■:■’ 10 vines of each variety \ and discovered that the g average number of fruit ,’ on a Brodie vine was 522, compered with 61 on a Hayward vine. > 4 However, it seems there is still a tot of research to be done before consumers have the chance to taste this new fruit Only 2000 fruit will be ■; mopped next season to ; assess the optimum carrying capacity of the Brodie . ■■'■variety.