Characteristics of ‘White’: a new easy-peel cultivar ofActinidia eriantha

We report the release of a new, large-fruited kiwifruit cultivar, ‘White’, selected from Actinidia eriantha. Fruit of ‘White’ had a mean fruit weight of 94 g, and a maximum fruit weight of 132 g at harvest in Zhejiang, China. The mean fruit weight is c. 2–4 times that of wild A. eriantha fruit found in Zhejiang and nearly 4 times that of ‘Bidan’, the only other registered A. eriantha cultivar. The fruit are oblong and the peelable skin is covered with dense white hair. The flesh of ripe fruit is green and has good eating quality but little juice. The soluble solids concentration was 14.7%, total sugar 9%, total acid 1.24%, and vitamin C 628.37 mg/100 g fresh weight. Its harvest season is during the last 10 days of October in the south of Zhejiang province, which is c. 2 weeks later than A. deliciosa ‘Bruno’ in the same area. It is sometimes referred to as the “banana kiwifruit” because the skin is easy to peel. This new cultivar has been registered in China (PVR No. CNA20050673.0).