Quick Dips

Strange Fruit

What is small, green and peels like a banana? It's a new type of kiwifruit under development by DSIR Fruit and Trees. The kiwifruit commonly found in shops virtually all come from one clone, the Hayward breed. DSIR horticulturalists are trying to develop new varieties with different colours, different tastes and different textures.

Dr Alan Seal, of the DSIR unit in Te Puke, sees market potential in the green, peelable kiwifruit. There's one snag remaining -- it tastes like grass.