21
F
Sof t F
r
ui t Confe
r
ence
F
p
r
ice p
r
essu
r
e; alt
h
oug
h
t
h
e
r
e is a gap inNo
r
t
h
Ame
r
ican
p
r
oduction f
r
ommid-Novem
b
e
r
tomid-Fe
br
ua
ry
.
Kiwiberries
Kiwi
b
e
rr
ies look to
b
e an inte
r
esting c
r
op andwo
r
k
b
eing ca
rr
ied
out inbelgiumwas discussed at t
h
eConfe
r
ence
by
Filip
De
b
e
r
saques f
r
om t
h
eUnive
r
sit
y
of G
h
ent. Kiwi
b
e
rr
ies p
r
ovide a
h
ealt
hy b
ite-sized f
r
uit wit
h
edi
b
le skin and
h
ig
h
sweetness. T
h
e
y
a
r
e availa
b
le in a
r
ange of sizes,
colou
r
s and s
h
apes,
w
h
ic
h
p
r
ovides
scope fo
r
futu
r
e
selection.Wo
r
k ove
r
t
h
e last 10
y
ea
r
s in
belgium
h
as
b
een
b
uilding up
knowledge and
expe
r
tise, wit
h
some
comme
r
cial planting
developing in
b
ot
h
belgium andholland.
Ape
r
ennial plant,
kiwi
b
e
rr
ies a
r
e
clim
b
e
r
s and la
r
gel
y
deciduous. Plantings
h
ave
b
eenmadewit
h
r
ows 4.5m apa
r
t and25cm apa
r
t wit
h
in t
h
e
r
ow. It
h
as p
r
oved to
b
e a fast-g
r
owingplant and a
h
ig
h
pe
r
gola
wi
r
e suppo
r
t s
y
stem
h
as
b
een used. T
h
e plants a
r
e do
r
mant f
r
om
Novem
b
e
r
to Fe
br
ua
ry
and a
r
e f
r
ost
r
esistant. howeve
r
,
y
oung
plant
b
uds a
r
e ve
ry
f
r
ost sensitive and an efficient s
y
stem of f
r
ost
p
r
otection is needed. Ove
rh
ead i
rr
igation
h
as p
r
oved to
b
e effective
b
ut does use la
r
gewate
r
volumes. Pollination is also needed, wit
h
male plants
b
eingplanted at t
h
e
r
atioof one to eig
h
t females. T
h
is
is p
r
oving to
b
e
b
a
r
el
y
sufficient to ac
h
ieve
h
ig
h
c
r
oppingpotential,
sowo
r
k
h
as
b
een unde
r
taken
by
t
h
eUnive
r
sit
y
looking at a
r
tificial
pollination and adding additional male pollinato
r
s inmo
b
ile
containe
r
s. Summe
r
p
r
uning
h
as
b
een adopted to imp
r
ove f
r
uit
colou
r
and folia
r
feeds
h
ave
b
een found to imp
r
ove f
r
uit size.
P
r
o
b
lems
r
emaining fo
r
kiwi
b
e
rr
ies include inconsistent colou
r
ing
and f
r
uit size, and skin damage due topoo
r
weat
h
e
r
andpests
anddiseases. T
h
e f
r
uits a
r
e ve
ry
fi
r
m and an
y
unseen p
hy
sical
damage causeddu
r
ing
h
a
r
vest is onl
y
visi
b
le afte
r
some time,
especiall
y
afte
r
cooling. howeve
r
, FilipDe
b
e
r
saques
b
elieves t
h
at
t
h
e c
r
op
h
as a lot of potential as a convenient
h
ealt
hy
snack, wit
h
plent
y
of scope fo
r
selecting
b
ette
r
plants, and, wit
h
expe
r
ience
and innovation, maximisingqualit
y
andquantit
y
.
Blueberries
Sadl
y
, Jobe
r
den f
r
omblue
b
e
rry
Giant inGe
r
man
y
was not a
b
le
to
b
e p
r
esent at t
h
eConfe
r
ence due to illness,
b
ut kindl
y
sent
h
is
notes; andWillem vanEldik, Senio
r
Advise
r
wit
h
Delp
h
i, outlined
ThE FrUITGrOWEr •
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ef
r
uitg
r
owe
r
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