DURHAM, NH – Those interested in the commercial production of kiwiberries are invited to the third annual Kiwiberry Field Day Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, from 5 to 7 p.m. The event will be held at the University of New Hampshire's kiwiberry research vineyard at the Woodman Horticultural Research Farm, a facility of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. It is free and open to the public.

The annual day is an opportunity for current and future commercial producers, value-added processors, and nurseries to visit the vineyard, learn about the program's current research and breeding activities, and share their knowledge, questions, and perspectives. “It’s been a productive year, and we have a lot to share,” said plant breeder Iago Hale, assistant professor of specialty crop improvement and leader of the program.

This year's field day will feature various production-related demonstrations, including weed management with a tractor-mounted HYD-ROW-HOE, an improved approach to irrigation and frost protection, berry evaluation to determine harvest time, and pruning and vine management. Hale and graduate student Will Hastings also will share research reports on the effects of harvest time and storage on ripening and marketability, kiwiberry genetics and what producers need to know before buying vines, and relevant results from the IX International Kiwifruit Symposium.

With their general adaptation to the region, their attractive appearance, intense and complex flavor profiles, high levels of bioactive compounds, and easy consumability, kiwiberries have long been recognized for their potential as a high-value crop in New England. For more information visit http://www.unh.edu/halelab/kiwiberry.  The field day is free and open to the public; however, the focus is on research for commercial production.

This material is based upon work supported by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, through joint funding of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 233561, and the state of New Hampshire.

Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture is UNH’s original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission.