Involvement of kiwifruit root autotoxicity in its replant problem

Abstract

: As aged kiwifruit trees often reduce the fruit productivity and quality, those aged kiwifruits are replaced with juvenile vigorous plants. Howev-er, the productivity and quality of the replaced kiwifruits remain relatively low. In the present research, autotoxicity and allelopathy of kiwifruit roots were evaluated. Aqueous methanol extracts of kiwifruit roots inhibited the growth of cress, lettuce, alfalfa, Lolium multiflorum , Phleum pretense and Echino chloa crus-galli . The extracts of kiwifruit roots also showed an inhibitory effect on the growth of kiwi fruits themselves. These results suggest that kiwifruit roots may contain allelopathic and autotoxic substances. The accumulation of autotoxic substances in orchard soil may occur by continuous exudation of autotoxic substances from kiwifruit roots over the long-term cultivations, and by liberation of the substances from the root residues. Accumulated autotoxic substances may suppress the fruit productivity and quality of the replaced kiwifruits. Therefore, autotoxicity may be involved in the replant problem of kiwifruits.