What are the latest kiwi varieties and their classifications?
Kiwifruit is the name for the fruit of the cultivated species of Chinese gooseberry (Actinidia chinensis). There are 59 species of kiwifruit native to China, among which the four varieties with greater cultivation value in production include Actinidia chinensis, Actinidia deliciosa, red-fleshed kiwifruit, and others. Below, let us take a look at the classification of kiwifruit varieties!
Guichang
“Guichang” kiwifruit grows in Xiuwen County, Guizhou, a place with a long history and rich culture, located in the heart of Qianzhong. This place became famous throughout the world because the Ming dynasty sage Mr. Wang Yangming attained enlightenment here, and it is praised by people as the "Holy Land of Wang Studies". It has a mid-subtropical climate, with a mild climate, abundant rainfall, no severe cold in winter, and no extreme heat in summer. The altitude within the territory is 1200-1400m. The superior climate environment is conducive to the planting and development of “Guichang” kiwifruit.
“Guichang” kiwifruit is cultivated by grafting local wild kiwifruit. The average single fruit weight is 70—100 grams. The fruit body is long cylindrical, and the flesh is emerald green, with a unique quality of tender flesh, juicy texture, rich juice, refreshing sweetness, and moderate sweet-sour taste. Guichang kiwifruit is praised as the “king of kings” among similar products nationwide for its superior quality. During the planting process, no swelling agents were used from beginning to end, making it completely organic and natural.
With its unique quality, “Guichang” kiwifruit was rated as a “Guizhou Province High-Quality Agricultural Product” and a “Guiyang Tourism Product” in 2000. In 2004, it obtained pollution-free agricultural product origin certification. In March 2011, Xiuwen kiwifruit obtained the national geographical indication trademark, and the product sells well nationwide.
Yueyin 2205
Yueyin 2205 is also called Zaoxian and was introduced from Jiangxi in 1984. The tips of the shoots are light brown, one-year-old branches are purple-brown, and the lenticels are relatively sparse. The leaves are approximately heart-shaped. The flowers are mostly solitary, with about 37 styles. The fruit is cylindrical, with an average single fruit weight of 87.3 grams and a maximum fruit weight of 130 grams. The flesh is yellow-green, fine and juicy, moderately sweet and sour, with a relatively strong flavor and aroma. It contains 12.4-14.7% soluble solids, 6.09-11.08% total sugar, and 93.7-147.5 mg/100 grams of vitamin C. The core size is medium, and the average number of seeds per fruit is 600-800. It matures in early to mid-August. The storage period at room temperature is 5-7 days.
The Yueyin 2205 plant has moderate growth vigor, sends out branches 2-4 times a year, with a budbreak rate of 40%-65%, a shoot formation rate of 82.5%-100%, and a fruiting branch rate of 53%-77%. It mainly bears fruit on medium and short fruiting branches. After planting, it bears fruit in 2-3 years, and a four-year-old plant can reach a yield of about 600 kg per mu. It has relatively strong resistance to wind, insects, high temperature, and drought.
Wuzhi No. 3
Wuzhi No. 3 was bred by the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It was introduced to our county in the spring of 1987. The budbreak period is early to mid-March, and the flowering period is mid-April. The maturity period is late August. The fruit stalk is relatively short, the fruit is oval, and the fruit skin is dark green, covered with sparse down. The average single fruit weight is 85 grams, and the maximum single fruit weight is 150 grams. The flesh is light green, and the core is yellow and relatively small. The texture is fine, juicy, with a strong flavor and top-grade quality. The soluble solids are 15%, reducing sugar is 7.32%, the sugar-acid ratio is 8:1, and the vitamin C content is 184.8 mg/100 g of flesh. It begins to soften after 1 week of storage at room temperature.
The Wuzhi No. 3 plant has strong growth vigor, with a budbreak rate of 53% and a flowering branch rate of 83%. It mainly bears fruit from inflorescences, with an average of 8 flowers per inflorescence, and a small number of twin-ovary conjoined flowers. A three-year-old tree yields 15-17 kg per plant. It is relatively resistant to disease and drought.
Cuiyu
Cuiyu kiwifruit is a new variety jointly bred by the Hunan Horticultural Research Institute and Zhang Shicheng of Longzhuangwan Township, Xupu County, Hunan Province. In September 2001, it passed provincial-level expert appraisal. The fruit quality is excellent, the fruit shape is relatively large, the flavor is rich and delicious, the fruit is extremely storage-resistant, and it is high-yielding and stable-yielding. It is an early-to-mid-maturing variety with excellent comprehensive traits. The fruit of this variety is conical, with protruding fruit, green-brown skin, and a smooth hairless surface. The average single fruit weight is 85-95 grams, and the maximum single fruit weight is 129-242 grams. The flesh is green or emerald green, dense, tender, and juicy, with a rich sweet flavor. The soluble solids content is 17.3-19.5%.
Cuiyu kiwifruit has a vitamin C content of 143 mg/100 grams, total acidity of 1.4%, and total sugar of 16%-22%. The maturity period is mid-September. The yield of a three-year-old plant reaches 20 kg, with the highest plant yield reaching 49 kg. During the peak production period, the yield per mu can reach 2500-4000 kg. Its comprehensive traits are superior to the control varieties Fengyue, Zaoxian, Kuimi, Mixiang, Qinmei, Jinkui, Hayward, and others. Cuiyu has extremely strong storage resistance, similar to the excellent New Zealand variety Hayward, and far exceeding other major cultivated varieties. It can be stored for more than 30 days at room temperature (around 25), with 89% good fruit. If harvested around the Beginning of Winter, it can be stored until February-April of the following year.
Cuiyu kiwifruit also has a more prominent advantage: the fruit can be eaten without becoming completely soft. It can be eaten at a firmness of about 5KKG/CM, with a rich sweet flavor and no astringency. This characteristic is also superior to Hayward.