'JINTAO': A CHINESE KIWIFRUIT SELECTION GROWN IN ITALY

'Jintao' is a tetraploid, yellow-fleshed Actinidia chinensis cultivar selected at the Wuhan Institute of Botany (WIB), China, and introduced into Europe for evaluation in 1998 within the framework of a research project funded by the European Union (INCO-DC). It was jointly evaluated during 1998–2000 by the I.N.R.A., Bordeaux (France), the University of Thessaloniki (Greece) and the University of Udine (Italy), and then released to European kiwifruit growers in 2001, following an agreement with the WIB. Here we report a comparison of ‘Jintao’ with ‘Hayward’, the world’s most widely grown kiwifruit (A. deliciosa) cultivar, during the years 2001–2004. Vines of both cultivars were grown at the experimental orchard of the University of Udine, trained on T-bars with planting distances of 4.0 x 3.0 m and c. 16 canes, 1.4 m long, per vine. This allowed a slightly higher bud load/vine in 'Jintao', because of its shorter internodes. The average annual yield was higher in 'Jintao', due mainly to the higher bud density and bud fertility of this cultivar, which compensated for the smaller average fruit size (86 g recorded for 'Jintao' against 103 g recorded for 'Hayward'). The vegetative cycle was shorter in 'Jintao' with a bud break 5 days ahead of ‘Hayward’ in spring and a harvest time (soluble solid content >7°Brix) on average 23 days earlier than 'Hayward'. Fruit, after storage in CA for 2 to 6 months depending on the year, were always firm enough for marketing (>1.0 kg/cm2), although softer than those of 'Hayward'. Soluble solids content was higher in 'Jintao' than in ‘Hayward’ at eating ripeness (15.4°Brix against 14.0). Taste panels consistently ranked 'Jintao' fruit as slightly superior to those of 'Hayward' (acceptability score 3.6 against 3.1 for 'Hayward').