CYANIMIDE IMPROVES CROPPING PERFORMANCE OF KIWIFRUIT VARIETY HAYWARD IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Dormex^R (520 g/L cyanamide) was evaluated over two consecutive seasons on mature kiwifruit vines, var. Hayward, growing on a commercial property near Perth, Western Australia. Winter conditions in 1987 were considerably milder than in the previous winter and together they would reflect the approximate extremes of winter conditions experienced in many kiwifruit growing regions of Western Australia. The consequence of these conditions is variable, and at best, only moderate crop levels for the Hayward variety.

Dormex^R was applied at 2, 4 and 6 weeks before anticipated bud burst and at three rates, namely 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 percent. Recordings of bud burst, flowering and fruit set indicate that best results are obtained with 5 percent Dormex^R applied 4 weeks prior to anticipated bud burst. Whilst the better treatments doubled the number of buds that burst, they had an even greater effect on the level of flowering and fruit set. Other effects of Dormex^R were to approximately halve the spread of flowering, as well as to promote earlier, more uniform bud break.

Dormex^R has the potential to enable reliable crops of the Hayward variety to be obtained under Western Australian conditions. These experiments showed that crop levels expressed as fruit per dormant winter bud, increased from 0.2 to 1.2 in a mild winter, and from 1.2 to 1.9 in a cooler season.