PROXIMITY TO SHELTERBELTS INFLUENCES FLOWERING AND YIELD OF KIWIFRUIT (ACTINIDIA-DELICIOSA)

Kiwifruit vines growing near natural shelterbelts often crop poorly. The effects of proximity to shelter were quantified by surveying vines in three orchards in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The number of flowers per winter bud was significantly reduced (27-51%) on vines adjacent to shelterbelts. This was primarily because of reductions in the percentage of shoots which produced flowers and in the number of flowers on each shoot. Comparisons of the observed reductions in flowering with those predicted from previous shading studies imply that the level of incident radiation is not the only factor affecting flowering. We suggest that the reductions in flower production near shelterbelts are caused by reductions in both the quantity and the quality of the light incident on the vines. Mean individual fruit weights were not affected by proximity to shelterbelts, but the numbers of fruit on each vine was significantly lower on vines near shelterbelts.