PERFORMANCE OF SOME KIWI FRUIT CULTIVARS UNDER MID HILL CONDITIONS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH

Abstract

Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa) is native to .China and the centre
of origin of the genus is in the mountain ranges of Southwestern China
(Ferguson, 1984). In India, the plants were first grown in Bangalore where it
did not fruit, but the plants introduced in Shimla by National Bureau of Plant
Genetic Resources (then Plant Introduction Division, IAR!) started bearing in
1969 (Dadlani et al., 1971). Subsequently on the basis of its performance at
Shimla, which was found very encouraging for its cultivation in the lower
and mid hills of Himachal Pradesh, the present study was conducted to
evaluate the performance of ~ome Kiwifruit cultivars under Solan conditions