Kiwifruit Kicks Back

In 2010 devastating bacterial disease PSA hit kiwifruit orchards in New Zealand, initially just in Bay Of Plenty but now it's in nearly every growing region pretty well wiping out, in particular, the high paying darling of the industry the gold, Hort 16A. In the early days people talked of being in deep holes, gut wrenching emotions and contracting and picking gangs were leaving the region. But in 2012 there was a small glimmer of hope that a newly developed gold kiwifruit, G3, was more resistant to PSA, and may offer a way forward. So where is the industry at: the growers, the packhouse operators, the researchers and the future planners.