Winter frost resistance of Hayward and Matua kiwifruit cultivars

Abstract

This study was carried out in Atatürk Central Horticultural Research Institute at Yalova in 1996 and 1997 in order to determine the frost resistance ability of fruit buds of Hayward and Matua cultivars by artificial freezing tests during winter months. Twig samples for artificial freezing tests were taken one week after defoliation, and at three-week intervals throughout the winter. The buds were exposed to temperatures of –10°C, –13°C and –15°C for 2, 4 and 6 hours. Then they were planted in a greenhouse for survival tests. It was found that –13°C and –15°C were very harmful temperatures for both cultivars even for the duration of 2 hours at –15⁰C. On the other hand, both cultivars could resist to –10°C for the duration of 6 hours. In general, Hayward is more sensitive to frost than Matua. Both cultivars showed higher resistance in February. As a result, Hayward and Matua cultivars could be grown safely in areas with as low temperatures as –10°C in winter months.