Kiwifruit: A game changer crop for the farmers of Himalayan region

Abstract

The Chinese gooseberry, also known as kiwifruit, is referred to as "The horticultural wonder of New Zealand" and "China's miracle fruit." Kiwifruit is a dioecious plant that is being researched extensively because, in comparison to other fruits produced globally, its fruit has many nutritional benefits. It is considered as a crop of temperate region, therefore it can be suitably grown in north eastern parts of India in the range of 600–1500 m height above mean sea level where chilling of 0–7°C can be met for 500–800 h. Bruno, Allison, Monty, Hayward, Abbott and Tomuri are the cultivars suitable for the Himalayan region. So far, there are no reports of major pest and diseases of kiwifruit in this region. Adoption of scientific package of practice can improve the productivity and quality of kiwifruit and ultimately increasing the profitability of farmers of entire Himalayan region.