Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Growing Actinidia chinensis (Kiwifruit)

When it comes to Actinidia chinensis, I believe everyone is confused. What is Actinidia chinensis? In fact, Actinidia chinensis is a variety of kiwifruit, and its place of origin is China, so it was named Actinidia chinensis. Below, the editor will introduce to you some cultivation methods for Actinidia chinensis.

Cultivation Techniques for Actinidia chinensis

1. Sowing

Select large, ripe fruit. After harvesting, let it ripen for six or seven days, then take out the seeds, wash them with water, dry them, wrap them well in gauze, and then bury them in slightly moist sand. Store for 1~2 months; this can improve their germination vigor and germination rate. The nursery bed is best chosen as relatively shaded sandy soil that drains well and is fairly loose and fertile. Apply sufficient base fertilizer and water thoroughly before sowing. The bed width should be 1~1.2 m, and the bed surface soil should be finely broken up and leveled.

Sowing from late February to early March is relatively suitable. Before sowing, mix the seeds with some sandy soil, and sow 6~8 grams of seed per square meter. Cover with a layer of fine sandy soil 4~5 mm thick and press down lightly. Cover with rice straw, sprinkle some water, and keep the soil moist to promote seed germination. It is best to set up an arched plastic film tunnel above the seedbed to protect against rainwater impact, reduce water evaporation, and also raise the seedbed temperature, which is beneficial for seed germination and seedling emergence, and allows timely shading, watering, topdressing, loosening of the soil, weeding, and thinning of seedlings.

2. Grafting

Scion collection: In combination with winter pruning, collect scions after the kiwifruit variety Guichang has shed its leaves, from 20 days after leaf fall to 15 days before spring budbreak. Select 1-year-old branches that are free of pests and diseases, grow vigorously, and have plump buds as scions. Tie 30~50 branches into 1 bundle, attach a label for marking, and store the scions upright inserted in yellow sand indoors. The humidity of the river sand should be such that it forms a ball when squeezed by hand and disperses when released.

Grafting time and method: The time for top grafting is February to March (grafting can be done around Qingming). Leave 1 male plant every 7 plants, and select and retain 2-3 main branches per plant, with the grafting position on the main branches controlled within 50 cm in height; use the cut grafting method. Each scion should retain 1-2 strong buds, with the long cut surface of the scion 3-4 cm and the short cut surface 0.5~1.0 cm. Insert the long cut surface of the scion into the cut in the rootstock, ensuring that after the scion and rootstock are joined, the cambium layers align on one side; wrap with special grafting film, and seal the upper end of the scion, the rootstock, and the saw cut with grafting film to help retain moisture and improve the survival rate. Check for survival 15 days after grafting, and promptly re-graft any that did not take.

3. Cuttage

Choose a wind-sheltered, well-drained sandy soil with a loose texture, good permeability, and some water-holding capacity. Within 15 cm of the topsoil, mix in an appropriate amount of river sand to promote rooting. Generally, in spring, select 1-year-old branches that have already flowered and set fruit, are free of pests and diseases, grow robustly, have smooth bark, and have plump buds (female and male branches must be kept separate). Each cutting generally retains 2~3 nodes: cut off the weak tip at the top of the branch (the upper part 1.0~1.5 cm from the axillary bud), seal the cut with wax, and reduce water evaporation. At the base of the cutting, about 1.5 cm from the bud, make a slanted cut with a grafting knife; the cut surface must be smooth. Before cutting, the base of the cutting should be treated with growth hormone. Prepare a 1% stock solution from indolebutyric acid original powder and 70% potassium carbonate (that is, 1 gram of indolebutyric acid original powder added to 7% potassium carbonate solution to make 1000 milliliters). When using, dilute with water to 0.15%~0.3% (that is, use 15 milliliters or 30 milliliters of stock solution diluted with water to 1500 milliliters or 3000 milliliters), and dip the base of the branch in the solution.

Pollen Collection

1. Spread the anthers evenly on paper and place them at 25~28 °C for 20~24 h to let the flowers open and release pollen;

2. Spread the anthers on a tabletop and hang a 100 w electric light bulb 100 cm above the tabletop to illuminate them, and wait for the anthers to crack before taking out the pollen;

3. Cover the anthers with a layer of newspaper, then place them in sunlight to release pollen, or release pollen on a hot kang with not too high a temperature. After the anthers crack, sieve out the pollen with a fine sieve, put it into a clean glass bottle, and store it in a low-temperature, dry place for later use. Pure pollen can be stored for 1~2 years in a sealed container at -20 °C, and can be stored for more than 10 d in a household refrigerator at 5 °C. Under dry room-temperature conditions, pollen stored for 5 d can achieve a pollination fruit-setting rate of 100%, but as storage time lengthens, the weight of the fruit after pollination gradually decreases; pollen stored for 24~48 h gives the best pollination effect.

Pest and Disease Control Methods

1. Breed disease-resistant and cold-resistant varieties to strengthen tree vigor;

2. Take frost protection measures: high hilling of soil, wrapping with straw, whitewashing, and using lime sulfur mixture;

3. When the soil boron content is below 0.3 mg, broadcast 0.5~1.0 kg of borax per mu 1 month before budbreak, and then apply it once more in May-June;

4. After autumn and before spring, spray each once with 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture. When disease occurs, use 70% DTM wettable powder 1000-fold solution, agricultural streptomycin 1000 mg/L solution, or copper sulfate 800-fold solution, spraying alternately once every 7~10 days; fifth, before and after the flowering period, while improving the fruit-setting rate, spray 1-2 times with 0.3% boric acid solution, and use the principle of phosphorus-boron complementarity, paying attention to adjusting the orchard soil so that it is often in a high-phosphorus (available phosphorus preferably above 80~100 mg) and medium-boron (available boron preferably within 0.3~0.5 mg) state.

How to Prune Actinidia chinensis

The "bleeding" phenomenon in winter pruning of kiwifruit is more serious than in grapes, so attention should be paid to the pruning period. Generally, pruning from after the beginning of winter to before the end of January of the following year is suitable. Pruning in February to March makes bleeding likely to occur; when bleeding is severe, it affects bud germination, and in serious cases the branches die.

The main contents of winter pruning are thinning branches and heading back. Thinning mainly removes excessive branches, overly dense thin and weak branches, and so on; when heading back, the cut should be 3 cm above the bud, not too close, otherwise the bud at the cut is likely to dry up. Different branch types are pruned differently. For water sprouts, generally retain 5~6 buds and head back to promote 2~3 branches; when not needed, remove them early; for vigorous fruiting branches, generally cut above the fruiting position and retain 3~4 buds; for long fruiting branches and medium fruiting branches, retain 2~3 buds; for short fruiting branches and short condensed fruiting branches, generally do not head back; for fruiting mother branches that have already borne fruit for more than 3 years, renew them by cutting back as appropriate; properly thin out overly dense vegetative branches, and for those intended to be trained as fruiting mother branches, select a suitable position between 50~100 cm and head back.

Through the above content, I believe everyone has gained a certain understanding of growing Actinidia chinensis. Actinidia chinensis is very rich in nutrients and is suitable for men, women, the young, and the old. Girls who love beauty may as well eat more kiwifruit; it has very good effects on beauty care, whitening, and weight loss!