Influence of cane angle on flower evocation, flower numbers, and productivity of kiwifruit vines (Actinidia deliciosa)

Abstract

Individual replacement canes on kiwifruit vines were trained upwards on a Y-trellis (60° above horizontal), while control canes on the same vines were trained downwards on a T-bar (45° below horizontal). Training canes upwards during summer reduced the percentage of shoots which produced flowers in the following spring by 20%, whereas training canes upwards during winter or spring reduced the percentage budburst by 21%. Training all of the canes on a vine onto a Y-trellis reduced budburst, the number of flowers per cane, and the proportion of large fruit. In the following year, when all vines had been retrained onto T-bars, vines which had previously been on a Y-trellis flowered poorly. Budburst, the percentage of shoots with flowers, and the number of flowers per flowering shoot were all reduced. This resulted in a 58% decrease in the number of flowers per cane.

Keywords:

• Actinidia deliciosa
• T-bar
• Y-trellis
• training
• flowering
• budburst
• fruit size
• kiwifruit