Quantification of Phenological, Physiological, and Morphological Response of Kiwifruit Varieties under Rainfed Conditions

Climate variability affects the phenological, physiological, and morphological adaptability of Kiwifruit. Hence, five Kiwifruit varieties were evaluated under variable rainfed climatic conditions in Pothowar. Phenological data of all five varieties was observed at both study sites, including bud initiation, bud swelling, and bud burst. Goldflesh (GDF) and Green Flesh 1 (GF1) were observed to be late in bud burst and to have poor physio-morphological responses and plant survival rates. In contrast, Hayward (H), Bruno (B), and Greenflesh 2 (GF2) exhibited superior performance in terms of plant physiological and morphological traits (e.g., heat damage percentage, photosynthetic activity, shoot length, trunk diameter, d isease incidence percentage, and survival rate). Greenflesh 2 (GF2) plants at both study locations exhibited a lower percentage of heat damage (4.25 and 5.83) than Greenflesh 1 (6.2 and 9.87) and Goldflesh (6.11 and 8.83), respectively. Bruno had more photosynthetic activity (627.31 and 773.5 mol m-2 sec -1) than Goldflesh (330.49 and 343.71 mol m-2 sec -1) and Greenflesh 1 (346.96 and 354.25 mol m-2 sec -1, respectively). Hayward (112.56 and 183.44 cm) and Bruno (109.98 and 160.39 cm) had longer shoots compared to Greenflesh 1 (44.23 and 71.26 cm) and Goldflesh (62.49 and 111.16 cm). Bruno (1.02 and 1.6 cm) and Hayward (0.93 and 1.56 cm) had a significantly larger trunk diameter than Greenflesh 1 (0.74 and 1.3 cm) and Goldflesh (0.78 and 1.3 cm), respectively. Hayward, Bruno, and Greenflesh 2 were significantly more resistant to disease incidence (0.27, 0.15, and 0.41) and plant survival was high (80%, 78%, and 79%) in all three varieties at both locations. Bruno and Greenflesh 2 proved to be the most productive varieties under variable climate conditions; thus, their material can be used to develop future Kiwifruit ideotypes in rainfed regions.