Detailed Explanation of Key Cultivation Techniques for Red-Fleshed Kiwifruit
Red-fleshed kiwifruit is an imported kiwifruit variety that has become popular in our country in recent years. As soon as it hit the market, it was well received by people, and sales are very good, often in short supply. Its price is slightly higher than domestic kiwifruit, but its taste is relatively good, with higher sweetness. So many people want to try growing this kind of kiwifruit.
Cultivation Techniques for Red-Fleshed Kiwifruit
1. Seed collection. After fully ripe wild kiwifruit fruits are harvested, place them in a cool place until soft and ripe, then peel off the skin, put them in a clean gauze bag and rub and wash them, washing away the flesh until only the seeds remain. Spread the seeds out to dry, seal them in a plastic bag, and store them at a low temperature of 4-5°C for later use.
2. Sand storage. About a month and a half before sowing (in Cangxi, usually in late December), take out the dried stored seeds and soak them in hot water at 50-70°C for 1-2 hours, then soak them in cool water for 1-3 days. Remove them and mix them evenly with 5-10 times their volume of moist river sand, then put them into a basin or bucket. Turn them over once every week and maintain suitable moisture, so that when squeezed by hand they form a ball and scatter when the hand is released.
3. Sowing. In the Guangyuan red-fleshed kiwifruit experimental demonstration garden, sowing is done in early February at the beginning of spring. Choose a seedbed with sufficient light, fertile and loose soil, convenient drainage and irrigation, and slightly acidic or neutral sandy loam. Apply base fertilizer and insecticide before preparing the beds. Deeply plow, rake finely and level to make beds; to prevent waterlogging, raised beds are needed. Evenly scatter the sand-stored seeds together with the sand over the nursery, cover with a layer of fine soil 2-3 mm thick, and finally cover with plastic film.
Living Conditions for Red-Fleshed Kiwifruit
Kiwifruit is a sun-loving tree species, tolerant of partial shade, fond of cool and humid environments, and afraid of drought, waterlogging, and wind. It is cold-tolerant but not tolerant of late spring frost. Kiwifruit orchards should be chosen on wind-sheltered, sunny hillsides or open ground, with deep, moist, loose soil, good drainage, high organic matter content, and a pH of 5.5-6.5 in slightly acidic sandy loam. Avoid low-lying waterlogged environments. Planting time runs from late autumn to early spring, in late October of autumn and late February of spring before the branch and shoot bleeding period.
Kiwifruit likes light but fears sunburn. Wild plants basically all grow on shady slopes or semi-shady slopes and by riversides. They have a very strong ability to use diffused light, and even growing wrapped around and attached to a large tree is no problem at all. However, they cannot be too heavily shaded. If there is severe lack of light, branches will die, which is why production emphasizes reasonable plant and row spacing. In plain terms, they like sunlight but fear high temperatures.
Fertilization Principles for Red-Fleshed Kiwifruit
1. Red-fleshed kiwifruit likes fertilizer but fears burning. The growth amount and extremely strong growth vigor of kiwifruit determine the urgency of its demand for nutrients. In addition, with the production mentality of pursuing yields in a predatory manner, once kiwifruit lacks inorganic nutrients it shows yellowing, small leaves, stopped growth, and other phenomena. Therefore, kiwifruit is relatively sensitive to nutrients, but its fleshy root system is also very sensitive to soil salt concentration, especially during continuous high temperature and drought, thus forming a new set of contradictions. In view of this, production requires that fertilization of kiwifruit must grasp the principle of far, scattered, and dilute, that is, the method of applying small amounts many times, which can meet nutrient needs without causing fertilizer damage. This is what is meant by kiwifruit liking fertilizer but fearing burning.
2. The annual fertilizer requirement for fertilizing kiwifruit is: in the early stage, the demand for the two elements N and K is large, and it is best to apply them as base fertilizer after fruit harvest in autumn, with 5000 kg/667 sq m of fertilizer, 243. Mix in 80 kg/667 sq m of superphosphate.
3. From budding to flowering and fruiting, apply appropriate topdressing, mainly with elements such as Ca, Mg, B, Fe, and Mn. This topdressing accounts for 2/3 of the whole year. In August, mainly apply quick-acting P and K fertilizers, with application amounts of N 15-20 kg/667 sq m, P 5-7 kg/667 sq m, and K 6-8 kg/667 sq m. This topdressing accounts for 1/3 of the whole year.
Pest and Disease Control for Red-Fleshed Kiwifruit
Kiwifruit seedlings are prone to attack by damping-off disease, mole crickets, and cutworms. Damping-off disease: the base of affected seedlings first appears water-soaked, then gradually darkens, later turns black, constricts, and rots, while the upper leaves wilt and the whole plant gradually dies. It can be controlled by spraying 2-3 times with 50% carbendazim 1000-times solution or 50% thiophanate-methyl 1000-times solution along with watering.
Mole crickets: the larvae hide by day and come out at night, gnawing tender leaves and biting through stems, causing seedlings to wither and die. Fried bran mixed with trichlorfon powder at 10:1 can be scattered around the plants, or light traps can be used to kill them.
Cutworms: after the 3rd instar, the larvae hide by day and come out at night to bite through seedling stems, causing missing seedlings. They can be caught manually in the early morning, or 1% trichlorfon solution can be sprayed along with watering, or vegetable leaves mixed with 1% trichlorfon solution can be scattered in the nursery to trap and kill them.
When planting red-fleshed kiwifruit, the work before sowing must be done well, and the selected land should be fertile and acidic soil for sowing. The drainage system must be good, and there must be no water accumulation. This is a taboo in growing red-fleshed kiwifruit and must be done properly. Then strengthen later management, and the yield of red-fleshed kiwifruit will certainly be high.