New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science abstracts
Influence of soil mulching on winter chilling of kiwifruit
W. P. SNELGAR
The Horticulture and Food Research
Institute of New Zealand Ltd
Mt Albert Research Centre
Private Bag 92 169
Auckland, New Zealand
email: bsnelgar@hort.cri.nz
A. C. RICHARDSON
The Horticulture and Food Research
Institute of New Zealand Ltd
Kerikeri Research Centre
P. O. Box 23
Kerikeri, New Zealand
H. R. PAUL
The Horticulture and Food Research
Institute of New Zealand Ltd
Mt Albert Research Centre
Private Bag 92 169
Auckland, New Zealand
G. B. LUPTON
The Horticulture and Food Research
Institute of New Zealand Ltd
Nelson Research Centre
P. O. Box 220
Motueka, New Zealand
Abstract The influence of soil temperature during winter and
early spring on subsequent budbreak and flowering of kiwifruit vines
(
Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chev.) C.F. Liang et A.R. Ferguson `Hayward')
was studied at three sites during a 2-year period. Soil under kiwifruit vines
was mulched for 28-day periods by laying sheets of clear polythene under vines.
Mulching in June or July increased soil temperatures at 0.1 m depth by
1-2deg.C compared to control vines, whereas mulching in August and September
elevated soil temperatures by 3-6deg.C. Increases in soil temperature were
directly proportional to the amount of solar radiation incident on the orchard
(
r2=0.97). Mulching did not substantially alter the time of
budbreak, the amount of budbreak, the rate of shoot growth, the number of
flowers per shoot, or the number of flowers per winter bud. However, in one
season the proportion of shoots that produced flowers was reduced when vines at
the warmest site were mulched during late winter (August), but increased when
vines at another warm site were mulched during early spring (September). These
data suggest that the performance of kiwifruit vines is not very sensitive to
soil temperature.
Keywords kiwifruit; roots; soil temperature; budbreak;
flowering
H98034
Received 22 July 1998; accepted 10 February 1999
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (612K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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