How to Tell If Kiwifruit Has Been Treated with a Growth Enhancer? Plus Ripening and Harvest Times

For growers, how should you identify kiwifruit that has been treated with a growth enhancer? Are there fixed values for when kiwifruit ripens and when it should be harvested?

How to identify kiwifruit treated with a growth enhancer?

Feature 1: High-quality kiwifruit not treated with a growth enhancer has a regular fruit shape, mostly a long oval that is large at the top and small at the bottom, with a small, round fruit navel that contracts inward, and a yellow-brown skin with even coloring, while the fine fruit hairs are not easy to shed.

Kiwifruit treated with a growth enhancer has a rather irregular fruit shape, with a long and thick fruit navel that protrudes outward, a greenish skin, a “two-tone face” phenomenon, and coarse, hard fruit hairs that shed easily.

Feature 2: When cut open, fruit not treated with a growth enhancer has a jade-green core and a sweet-and-sour, tasty flavor; while fruit treated with a growth enhancer has a thick core, and after the flesh ripens it turns yellow and the flavor becomes bland.

Feature 3: Kiwifruit treated with a growth enhancer has a hollow core, while kiwifruit not treated with a growth enhancer has a solid core.

Feature 4: Kiwifruit not treated with a growth enhancer has a smaller fruit shape, while kiwifruit treated with a growth enhancer has a larger fruit shape.

Feature 5: Kiwifruit not treated with a growth enhancer has radiating lines in the fruit core, while those treated with a growth enhancer have irregular lines.

Feature 6: Kiwifruit not treated with a growth enhancer has a naturally dark brown skin, while kiwifruit treated with a growth enhancer has a yellowish skin.

When does kiwifruit ripen?

Kiwifruit has a flowering period in June and a fruit-ripening period from August to October. A ripe fruit is about the size of a duck egg, and the dark brown, hairy skin is generally not eaten, while inside is bright green flesh and multiple rows of black seeds; it gets its name because the skin covered in hair resembles a macaque.

When is kiwifruit harvested?

The best time to harvest kiwifruit is before 10 a.m., when the temperature has not yet risen, and during harvesting it is essential to handle the fruit gently. The storage life and quality of kiwifruit are greatly affected by its ripeness at harvest; harvesting too early or too late will both affect the quality and flavor of the fruit, and it must go through the quality formation period to fully ripen. According to the fruit development period, when the soluble solids content of the fruit is 6 to 7%, it is the suitable harvest time.

The above is a summary of the relevant information about kiwifruit. In fact, growing kiwifruit is not difficult, but it requires experience and more management.