ABSTRACT
The kiwifruit or Chinese gooseberry is a dioecious and deciduous vine native to the China. It has gained enormous popularity in the recent past due to wide adaptability, unique blend of taste and high medicinal value. The kiwifruit has been assessed as a nodal fruit for diversification of mid-hill horticulture which has a wider scope in the domestic as well as international market. It is commercially cultivated in China, Italy, New Zealand, Iran, Greece, and Chile. Although the kiwifruit was introduced in the 1960s in India, its commercial importance was realized during the last three decades. Himachal Pradesh is the pioneer state to demonstrate its commercial cultivation in India, but Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Sikkim are now the leading kiwifruit-producing states of the country. Most of the cultivars are the descendants of the seedling which fruited in 1910. The nurserymen raised a large number of seedlings subsequently and selected superior types for further multiplication. The commercially grown important pistillate cultivars are Allison, Bruno, Hayward, Hort16A, and Monty. The knowledge about the current status of the scientific cultivation of kiwifruit has been discussed in this chapter in the light of the available literature.
