A novel early maturing kiwifruit (Actinidia eriantha) cultivar

The fruit of most wild Actinidia eriantha are late maturing, which greatly restrict their commercial development. Fortunately, our team found an early maturing genotype, 'Ganlv 2', with excellent fruit quality traits at an altitude of 750 m in Nancheng County, Jiangxi Province, China. In order to clarify whether the early maturity trait is stable and provide evidence for new cultivar protection, we performed DUS (Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability) tests during 2017-2019 and used SSR technology to construct a molecular fingerprint. The results showed that 'Ganlv 2' is a novel diploid genotype, and matures about 20 d earlier than other A. eriantha cultivars. The average fruit weight of 'Ganlv 2' was 45 g, and the maximum was 58 g at harvest. The fruit shape was oval and the peelable skin were covered with dense white hair. The three-year average value was 15.2% for its fruit soluble solids concentration, 17.4% for dry matter, 9.3% for total sugar content, 1.0% for total acid content, and 466.24 mg/100 g FW for vitamin C. In conclusion, the early maturity trait of 'Ganlv 2' appears to be stable, and it provides a novel genotype for studying the mechanism of early fruit maturity in kiwifruit.

Automated summary

The research team discovered an early-maturing genotype of Actinidia eriantha, 'Ganlv 2', with excellent fruit quality traits, providing a novel genotype for studying the mechanism of early fruit maturity in kiwifruit.