Performance of selected Actinidia chinensis kiwifruit cultivars in central Alabama, USA

The floral development of kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) grown in central Alabama, USA, was closely evaluated for two seasons, and the fruit development of cultivars was evaluated for three seasons. ‘AU Golden Dragon’ typically blooms a few days earlier than ‘Hort16A’ kiwifruit. ‘AU Golden Sunshine’ and ‘AU Gulf Coast Gold’ typically bloom 10-14 d after ‘Hort16A’. The harvest period for ‘AU Golden Dragon’ appears to be late August, followed by those of ‘AU Golden Sunshine’, ‘AU Gulf Coast Gold’, and finally ‘Hort16A’ in early to mid-October. Hortkiwi ‘Meteor’ has a bloom period overlapping with those of ‘AU Golden Dragon’ and ‘Hort16A’, and was selected as a suitable pollinizer for these cultivars. ‘AU Golden Tiger’ appears to be a suitable pollinizer for ‘AU Golden Sunshine’ and ‘AU Gulf Coast Gold’. The percentage dry-matter content corresponded with the harvest date of each cultivar. Hence, the percentage dry-matter content of fruit from lowest to highest was observed in ‘AU Golden Dragon’, ‘AU Golden Sunshine’, ‘AU Gulf Coast Gold’, and ‘Hort16A’, respectively.