Kiwiberries May Be The Next Big, Little Fruit

Kiwiberries May Be The Next Big Little Fruit CROPS New Crops University researchers from New Hampshire to Oregon including some in Ohio and Michigan are promoting the potential of kiwiberries In New Hampshire the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education SARE project works with around 40 farmers to expand interest in the small fruit About the size of a large grape hairless kiwiberries are very high in vitamin C and other vitamins antioxidants and naturally occurring sugars Although kiwiberries were introduced to the U S in the late 1800s they haven’t been widely developed as a commercially viable fruit One reason is that vines are either pollen-producing males or fruit-producing females Vines could be cultivated for years before they flowered and revealed their sex but that’s no longer the case The University of New Hampshire started its kiwiberry research and breeding program in 2013 and developed DNA sequencing making it possible to determine a kiwiberry vine’s gender at germination The program also developed improved varieties and economically viable production practices including innovative canopy management increased planting density and pruning irrigation and fertilization protocols According to Iago Hale the research effort has reduced the average flowering time from 5 to 6 years to just 3 years These innovations have allowed the screening of thousands of potential kiwiberry varieties in the 1 1/2-acre research vineyard “So far nearly 30 selections have been advanced to replicated trials and the prospect of releasing new elite varieties to support this emerging industry is coming to fruition ” says Hale in a recent report The SARE project will evaluate 20 of the University’s varietal selections across the 40 pilot vineyards As part of the USDA-funded research in New Hampshire the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station has published an online guide titled “Growing Kiwiberries in New England ” The guide covers all aspects of production from vineyard establishment to post-harvesting storage and ripening It also includes enterprise analysis for people considering developing a kiwi vineyard Kiwi Korners Farm is credited for providing much of the data used to develop the enterprise analysis Dave Jackson began researching developing and growing hardy kiwi near Danville Penn in 1988 He started with a 2-acre test trial block or arbor and has since expanded to eight different arbors across three distinct microclimates on 20 of his 40 acres In 1990 Holly Laubach joined him at Kiwi Korners The farm sells its berries via brokers and organic co-ops in the Mid-Atlantic region FARM SHOW readers in other areas but within the contiguous U S can taste Passion Poppers through the farm’s Kiwi Berry Direct sales For 2024 an order consisting of 12 six-oz clamshells of Passion Poppers cost $58 00 Shipping and handling brought the total cost to $89 90 per order Jackson warns that Passion Poppers usually sell out before the crop is harvested and typically ship in mid-September Contact the farm to sign up for the 2025 Kiwi Berry Direct notification list Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Iago Hale University of New Hampshire; Agriculture Nutrition and Food Systems; Kendall Hall Rm 416 Durham N H 03824 ph 603-862-4653; Iago Hale@unh edu; www noreastkiwiberries com or Kiwi Berry Organics Company Danville Penn 17821 dave@kiwiberry com; holly@kiwiberry com; www kiwiberry1 com

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