Cultivation of actinia

Achieving consistently high quality kiwifruit produced in partnership with Agrohellas

The cultivation of actinidia is a relatively new but very promising crop in our country. In the last decade, many new plantings have been made without the necessary orchard management experience, resulting in the production of fruit that does not meet the specifications as defined by the market. It is worth noting that a kiwi is considered marketable when the weight of the fruit is over 65g, while a good production is when the average weight of the fruit is around 100g (number 30).

This year was characterized by severe microcarpia, which is a function of both weather conditions (poor fertilization, heat, etc.) and insufficient management on the part of the producers. Therefore, Greek kiwifruit growers are fighting a big race to produce good quality fruit, but many times they fall out as the race is decided in the details.

There are many examples of neighboring estates where the difference in the quality of the fruits was so significant without there being a difference in the climatic conditions as well as the age of the trees. We can therefore easily draw the conclusion that the production of a consistently quality product is inextricably linked to the management of the orchard in terms of both nutrition and cultivation care (pruning, thinning, irrigation, etc.)

It is worth understanding the actinia plant in depth so that we know better its real needs both in nutrition and in other cultivation practices (irrigation, pruning, etc.) but also the right time to apply them for optimal production.

Kiwi comes from the N.D. China. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century, in 1904, that it was brought to the coast of New Zealand where a few decades later it was improved (creating the Hayward variety) and commercial cultivation in the country began. It is therefore a plant that originates from the northern tropical zone. We can easily derive some of the most important needs of the plant by studying exclusively the soil and climate conditions of the region where it originates.

Kiwi has great needs for nitrogen N, potassium K and calcium Ca. The sufficiency of the above macronutrients is particularly important in order to ensure the balanced vegetative growth of the plants as well as the high annual production (>4 tons/day) of high quality fruits and post-harvest capacity.

It is worth noting that being a crop originating from the tropics it loves slightly acidic soils with a pH range of 5.5 – 7. In addition it prefers fertile, medium-light texture (clay-sand ratio) and well-drained soils with high organic matter.

Successful management of an actinidia depends on understanding the growth phases of the actinidia (shoot, root and fruit) so that fertilizers and necessary agricultural practices can be applied at the ideal time for the crop.

In this way, the utilization of the necessary nutrients that the plants need increases dramatically as the synchronization of their addition is achieved based on the needs they have at the given moment during the annual phenological cycle.