Yellow Kiwi Variety: Dorì

The new Yellow flesh Kiwi variety AC1536* Dorì^TM was obtained through the evaluation of the Department of Agricultural and Food Science in Bologna of a cross-breed developed by researchers working with Prof. Raffaele Testolin (University of Udine). The selection was developed in the experimental fields in Cadriano (Bo), monitored by Prof. Guglielmo Costa’s research group (University of Bologna).

• Tree: The plant has excellent, balanced vegetative behaviour with nice green leaves and budding around 3 days earlier than Hayward.
• Flowering: Flowering occurs on average 10 days before Hayward.
• Time of maturity: The fruit ripens in mid-September, so 35-40 days before the benchmark green flesh variety Hayward*, normally harvested in the northern hemisphere in late October. This characteristic allows a fresh product to be delivered to market much earlier. Over the years, harvesting has been done between 7 September in 2011 (an early year) and 18 September in 2012 (a year considered late).
• Fruit: On harvesting it is characterised for its elongated, uniform shape, pale brown skin colour, deep yellow flesh. On harvest, the dry matter is around 18%, average Brix concentration is 9, and ardness 5.8 Kg/cm2. Excellent shelf life in cold storage.
• Agronomic evaluation: The plant showed high resistance to the cold during the experimental phase, as in the 2010 season it had normal cropping even after the stiff frosts in the winter in December 2009, which reached -19°C in the experimental area in Cadriano. An early variety, the vegetative activity ends early and the plant enters the rest period earlier, thus reducing the sensitivity to the cold and consequently also the sensitivity to bacterial diseases, which currently has been shown to be completely absent as not even one plant was diseased.

Patents and Trade Marks:

• Community plant variety right application (EU plant variety rights, c/o CPVO) no. 2012/1668 and US patent application no. 13/987767 (plant patent USA, c/o USPTO) held by Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna and the University of Udine.
• EU trade mark Dori™ no. 012159521/2013 filed by the University of Udine and the University of Bologna.

Licences:

• Worldwide exclusive rights of multiplication, production and marketing licensed to SUMMERFRUIT s.r.l. The licensee company holds all exploitation rights over Dorì.