The other edible and very promising Actinidia species is Actinidia arguta (Siebold & Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq., also known as kiwiberry, hardy kiwi, baby kiwi, or mini kiwi. This exotic species is very interesting and promising given the horticultural ad...
The other edible and very promising Actinidia species is Actinidia arguta (Siebold & Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq., also known as kiwiberry, hardy kiwi, baby kiwi, or mini kiwi. This exotic species is very interesting and promising given the horticultural advantages it has over kiwifruit, especially its high frost hardiness (down to -30 ℃ in midwinter) and relatively short vegetation period. To the best of our knowledge, there have been few experiments studying the effect of soil properties on mini kiwifruit productivity as well as the sugar content of A. arguta fruit. The variety of cultivar and expansion in arable farming has emphasized a need for more specific information related to factors that affect A. arguta productivity and sugar content of the fruit in the region. We analyzed various soil properties at experimental sites in South Korea. A Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed between the soil properties and sugar content or productivity of A. arguta. Further, a decision tree was used to determine the optimal soil conditions. The difference in the fruit size, sugar content, and productivity of A. arguta across sites was significant, confirming the effects of soil properties. The decision tree analysis showed that a soil C/N ratio of over 11.49 predicted a sugar content of more than 7 °Bx at harvest time, and soil electrical capacity below 131.83 μS/cm predicted productivity more than 50 kg/vine at harvest time. Our results present the soil conditions required to increase the sugar content or productivity of A. arguta, a new A. arguta cultivar in South Korea.