Patent Publication Number: US-PP20994-P2

Title: Kiwi plant named ‘AU Authur’

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/150,769, filed on Apr. 30, 2008, and entitled “Kiwi Plant Named ‘AU Fitzgerald’” is incorporated by reference herein. 
   Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed:  Actinidia deliciosa A. Chev.    
   Variety denomination: ‘AU Authur’. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Kiwi plants in cultivation are dioecious deciduous vines that originated in China and parts of Asia. There are over 50 species in the genus  Actinidia . The  Actinidia deliciosa  species originated in China and parts of Asia and is known as the Chinese gooseberry. Plant material of this species was taken to New Zealand where new cultivars such as ‘Hayward’ were developed. Due to the appearance of the fruit of the Chinese gooseberry, it was given the name kiwi fruit in New Zealand after the native kiwi bird. The kiwi plant is dioecious thereby requiring male pollinizers in the presence of the female plants to ensure fruit production. 
   ‘Hayward’ is the most commercialized female kiwi cultivar grown and marketed in the world. The ‘Hayward’ cultivar is produced commercially in California in the U.S. and in New Zealand, and is the kiwi fruit most often found in U.S. grocery stores. Attributes of the ‘Hayward’ cultivar that have led to its dominance of the kiwi market in the past are its distinctive green flesh, good flavor and long storage life. It is not known what male cultivar was used to pollinate the female flowers that produced the fruit and seed that resulted in the new cultivar. ‘Mama’ and ‘Tomuri’ are two male cultivars frequently used for pollination in ‘Hayward’ plantings. 
   Many plantings of the ‘Hayward’ cultivar with ‘Matua’ and ‘Tomuri’ were planted in Alabama as well as the adjoining southeastern states. These plantings were established near the coast in most cases. The vines grew vigorously but were unfruitful because the female cultivar ‘Hayward’ did not produce flower buds. The male plants produced flower buds and flowers. The ‘Matua’ cultivar bloomed earlier than ‘Tomuri’ in the plantings made in the coastal areas of south Alabama. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Mrs. A. A. Fitzgerald of Summerdale, Ala. purchased kiwi fruit from a local grocery store and planted some seeds from the fruit. She ended up with one female and one male plant that bloomed together, were very productive and matured a crop of quality fruit. The fruit purchased was probably from the ‘Hayward’ cultivar. 
   The present invention relates to a new and distinctive male kiwi cultivar of  A. deliciosa A. Chev . The parentage of the new cultivar is unknown as it was grown from seed from fruit purchased from a grocery. 
   The new cultivar is able to be asexually reproduced as cuttings or by grafting or budding on to a seedling or cutting grown rootstock. The unique characteristics come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding asexual propagations. In the climate of central Alabama, vegetative bud break occurs during the last two weeks of March and the bloom period occurs during the last week of April and the first two weeks of May, depending on the climate during the season. ‘Matua’ generally blooms earlier than the new cultivar ‘AU Authur’ and during the first ¾ of the bloom period of ‘AU Fitzgerald’ and ‘Hayward’. The bloom period of the new cultivar ‘AU Authur’ begins just after ‘AU Fitzgerald’ and ‘Hayward’ and overlaps the major bloom period of the female cultivars. The new cultivar ‘AU Authur’ peak bloom period occurs during the peak bloom period of the ‘AU Fitzgerald’ and ‘Hayward’ bloom period. ‘Tomuri’ blooms after ‘AU Fitzgerald’, ‘Hayward’, and the new male cultivar ‘AU Authur’ in most seasons. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a photograph of leaves of the ‘AU Authur’ cultivar. 
       FIG. 2  is a photograph of flowers and leaves of the ‘AU Authur’ cultivar. 
       FIG. 3  is a photograph of flowers and leaves of the ‘AU Authur’ cultivar. 
       FIG. 4  is a photograph of vines, leaves and flowers of the ‘AU Authur’ cultivar. 
       FIG. 5  is a photograph of a trunk, vines, leaves and flowers of the ‘AU Authur’ cultivar. 
       FIG. 6  is a photograph of vines, leaves and flowers of the ‘AU Authur’ cultivar. 
   

   DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION 
   The new cultivar ‘AU Authur’ is a male with imperfect flowers. It has 40 or more stamens per flower and vertigial pistils. Characteristics of the new cultivar in which it differs from the standard kiwi cultivar ‘Matua’, includes slightly later blooming and a bloom period that overlaps the bloom period of ‘AU Fitzgerald’ and ‘Hayward’. 
   ‘AU Authur’ is able to be asexually reproduced as cuttings or by grafting or budding on to a seedling or cutting grown rootstock. The new cultivar was asexually reproduced at the Chilton Area Research and Extension Center at Clanton, Ala., US. The instant plant was grafted on a rootstock named Bruno. ‘AU Authur’ has a vigorous growth habit similar to ‘AU Fitzgerald’ and ‘Hayward’ and blooms with these two female cultivars. 
   The distinctive characteristics of this new kiwi cultivar described in detail below have been observed in a replicated field experiment at the Chilton Area Research and Extension Center at Clanton, Ala., US. The plants were one year old rooted cuttings when planted. The ‘Matua’ and ‘Tomuri’ cultivars were evaluated in the same replicated field experiment and ‘Matua’ was used as the standard cultivar for comparison because in some years, ‘Tomuri’ bloomed after all other cultivars had completed the bloom period. 
   The table below illustrates the specific differences between the ‘AU Authur’ cultivar and the ‘Matua’ cultivar. The table utilized The Royal Horticulture Society&#39;s Colour Chart (2001). 
   
     
       
         
             
           
             
               TABLE I 
             
           
          
             
                 
             
             
               Comparison of ‘AU Authur’ and ‘Matua’ cultivars. 
             
          
         
         
             
             
             
          
             
                 
               ‘AU Authur’ 
               ‘Matua’ 
             
             
                 
                 
             
          
         
         
             
             
             
          
             
               Plant 
                 
                 
             
             
               Plant: sex expression 
               male (flowers imperfect) 
             
             
               Plant: ploidy 
               hexaploid 
             
             
               Plant: vigor 
               strong 
               medium 
             
             
               Young shoot: hairs 
               present 
             
             
               Young shoot: density 
               heavy 
             
             
               of hairs 
             
             
               Young shoot: type of 
               hirsute 
             
             
               hairs 
             
             
               Young shoot: 
               absent 
             
             
               anthocyanin coloration 
             
             
               of growing tip 
             
             
               Young shoot: 
               absent 
             
             
               anthocyanin coloration 
             
             
               of leaf axil 
             
             
               Plant: average height 
               plant is a vigorous vine 
             
             
               and spread 
               trained and grown on a 
             
             
                 
               trellis (8′-16′). It is 
             
             
                 
               pruned multiple times 
             
             
                 
               during the season to 
             
             
                 
               contain the plant in its 
             
             
                 
               allocated space. 
             
             
               Stem 
             
             
               Stem: coloration of 
               weak 
             
             
               leaf axil 
             
             
               Stem: diameter 
               medium 
             
             
               Stem base diameter 
               mean 16.35 mm 
               mean 15.5 mm 
             
             
                 
               (range 15.5-17.1 mm) 
               (range 13.75-17.74 
             
             
                 
                 
               mm) 
             
             
               Stem mid section 
               mean 8.86 mm 
               mean 8.43 mm 
             
             
               diameter 
               (range 8.57-9.4 mm) 
               (range 7.55-9.74 mm) 
             
             
               Stem: dormant bud 
               6.62 mm (5.41-7.81 mm) 
               7.12 mm (6.32-8.21 
             
             
               diameter 
                 
               mm) 
             
             
               Stem color on upper 
               light brown (N199B) 
             
             
               side of shoot 
             
             
               Stem: character of 
               rough 
               smooth 
             
             
               bark 
             
             
               Stem: hairs 
               present 
               present-light 
             
             
               Stem: conspicuousness 
               conspicuous 
             
             
               of lenticels 
             
             
               Stem: number of 
               medium 232 (174-297/sq 
               medium 232 
             
             
               lenticels 
               cm) 
               (174-303/sq cm) 
             
             
               Stem: color of lenticels 
               brownish-white 
             
             
               Stem: size of bud 
               medium-large 
               small-medium 
             
             
               support 
             
             
               Stem: visibility of bud 
               almost buried 
             
             
               (dormant canes) 
             
             
               Stem: number of hairs 
               medium 
             
             
               visible on bud 
             
             
               (dormant canes) 
             
             
               Stem: leaf scar 
               Length (mm) 4.8 
             
             
                 
               (range 4.1-6.3) 
             
             
                 
               Width (mm) 4.5 (range 
             
             
                 
               3.9-5.2) 
             
             
               Leaf (Mature) 
             
             
               Leaf shape: 
               orbicular to broadly 
               orbicular to obovate, 
             
             
                 
               cordate 
               occasionally reniforme 
             
             
                 
                 
               (kidney-shaped, wider 
             
             
                 
                 
               than long) 
             
             
               Leaf base shape: 
               cordate, lobes small and 
               narrowly cordate, 
             
             
                 
               touching to slightly 
               lobes touching to 
             
             
                 
               overlapping 
               slightly overlapping 
             
             
               Leaf tip shape: 
               round with a broad 
               broadly obtuse to 
             
             
                 
               deltoid tip 
               somewhat refuse with 
             
             
                 
                 
               broad cuspidate at tip 
             
             
               Leaf margin: 
               entire 
             
             
               Leaf adaxial surface: 
               light-med green (147A), 
             
             
                 
               glabrous except for 
             
             
                 
               sparse, unbranched hairs 
             
             
                 
               on veins 
             
             
               Leaf abaxial surface: 
               light green (147B), 
             
             
                 
               dense, stellate 
             
             
                 
               pubescence everywhere 
             
             
                 
               except along main veins 
             
             
                 
               which are densely 
             
             
                 
               tomentose with 
             
             
                 
               unbranched hairs 
             
             
               Leaf length (cm): 
               18.5(15.9-23.1)[15] 
               16.8(13.6-20.5)[15] 
             
             
               Leaf width (cm): 
               15.1(12.5-17.9)[15] 
               14.1(12.0-20.8)[15] 
             
             
               Leaf ratio (l/w): 
               1.2(1.1-1.5)[15] 
               1.2(0.9-1.4)[15] 
             
             
               Leaf petiole length 
               5.6(3.9-9.9)[15] 
               4.2(3.3-6.3)[15] 
             
             
               (cm): 
             
             
               Leaf 1° vein 
               pinnate; veins 
             
             
               organization: 
               terminating as small 
             
             
                 
               extended points or 
             
             
                 
               mucros at leaf margins 
             
             
               Leaf 2° vein 
               ±parallel 
             
             
               organization: 
             
             
               Leaf puckering: 
               weak 
               moderate 
             
             
               Leaf variegation: 
               none 
             
             
               Leaf spines on lower 
               none 
             
             
               leaf surface: 
             
             
               Petiole: 
               N199B 
             
             
               Pedicel: 
               149D 
             
             
               Flower 
             
             
               Inflorescence#: 
               mean 2.6 (range 1-4) 
               mean 2.4 (range 1-4) 
             
             
                 
               [15] 
               [28] 
             
             
               1° Pedicel length (cm): 
               4.0(2.0-6.2)[12] 
               2.6(1.4-3.3)[17] 
             
             
               2° Pedicel length (cm): 
               1.6(0.9-2.8)[16] 
               0.9(0.6-1.5)[18] 
             
             
               Pedicel pubescence: 
               minutely, densely 
             
             
                 
               tomentose, unbranched 
             
             
               Sepal#: 
               5.4(3-7)[11] 
               5.3(4-7)[17] 
             
             
               Sepal color: 
               152D 
               rusty greenish 
             
             
               Sepal pubescence: 
               minutely, densely 
             
             
                 
               tomentose, unbranched 
             
             
                 
               creamy white 
             
             
               Flower color: 
               10D 
             
             
               Flower width (cm): 
               5.4(5.1-5.8)[10] 
               3.8(3.6-4.1)[12] 
             
             
               Petal orientation: 
               overlapping: sides 
             
             
                 
               reflexed 
             
             
               Petal#: 
               6.8(5-8) [11] 
               6.0 (5-7) [14] 
             
             
               Petal length (cm): 
               2.4(2.2-3.0)[20] 
               1.9(1.6-2.1)[19] 
             
             
               Petal width (cm): 
               2.1(1.8-2.5)[20] 
               1.5(1.2-1.8)[19] 
             
             
               Petal ratio (l/w): 
               1.2(0.9-1.4)[20] 
               1.3(0.9-1.5)[19] 
             
             
               Petal arrangement: 
               overlapping 
             
             
               Style#: 
               average - 24 
             
             
                 
               range (20-28) 
             
             
               Stamen#: 
               average - 153 
             
             
                 
               range (142-168) 
             
             
               Anther length (mm): 
               2.0-3.0 
             
             
               Chilling requirement 
               &lt;800 
             
             
               hours: 
             
             
               Filament: 
               10C 
             
             
               Anther: 
               21B