IrriBlog

Irritec® S.p.A. is a Benefit Corporation

IrriBlog

IrriBlog

Kiwifruit: production, market trends and water management during the key stages of the season

During the central stages of the summer season, kiwifruit faces a crucial moment for crop quality and market response. Drip irrigation, fertigation and pH and EC control become essential for achieving a good harvest and using water efficiently.
Kiwifruit: production, market trends and water management during the key stages of the season

Redazione

Editorial Team

Kiwifruit in Italy: crop quality put to the test by extreme heat

In late July, Italian kiwifruit orchards enter a critical stage of the season. Fruit is actively sizing, temperatures reach their highest levels of the year, and water availability becomes one of the factors with the greatest impact on fruit size, uniformity and final quality.

This issue is even more relevant in a summer marked by new episodes of intense heat across Europe. According to Copernicus, June 2026 was the second-warmest June globally in the ERA5 dataset, while many areas of Western Europe experienced particularly hot and dry conditions. For fruit crops with high water requirements, such as actinidia, this makes one thing increasingly clear: smart irrigation is becoming essential, delivering water at the right time according to the real needs of the plants, while avoiding unnecessary waste.

Kiwifruit between global market dynamics and new production challenges

Kiwifruit remains a strategic crop in the international fruit sector. According to FAO data cited in scientific literature, global kiwifruit production in 2023 stood at around 4.43 million tons, grown on more than 286,000 hectares, with China, New Zealand, Italy and Greece among the leading producing countries.

The international picture confirms a dynamic phase for the crop. In New Zealand, the 2025/26 harvest is estimated by USDA FAS at around 794,490 tons, following two more difficult seasons affected by labor shortages, fruit quality issues and adverse weather events. NZKGI also reports that kiwifruit remains New Zealand’s leading horticultural export, with revenues expected to grow by 16%. Chile is also looking at an expanding 2026 season, with exports forecast at around 170,000 tons and estimated growth of between 16% and 20%. In Greece, meanwhile, summer drought has forced several growers to increase irrigation, with knock-on effects on water and energy costs.

Italy continues to play a leading role in global kiwifruit production, but the sector is going through a complex phase. According to CSO Italy, the country’s productive areas exceed 25,000 hectares and its production potential could reach around 600,000 tonnes. In recent years, however, actual output has remained below this potential. The main growing regions are still Lazio, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Calabria and Veneto, with Lazio alone accounting, on average, for around one third of national production. This gap between potential and actual production is clear from recent seasons. For the 2024/25 season, around 277,500 tonnes were expected at national level, marking a slight recovery compared with the previous season but still representing limited volumes: 179,000 tonnes of green kiwifruit, 94,000 tonnes of yellow kiwifruit and just over 4,000 tonnes of red kiwifruit. For the 2025/26 season, forecasts point to a further recovery, with around 341,000 tonnes in total, up 17% compared with 2024/25.

However, the outlook remains affected by plant diseases, kiwifruit vine decline, irregular weather events and the reduction of productive areas, especially for green kiwifruit in some parts of Central and Northern Italy.

Kiwi ala gocciolante e irrigatore - Irritec

Vine decline, heat and soil: why water management is becoming increasingly delicate

Actinidia is both a demanding and sensitive crop. CREA has highlighted a key aspect: kiwifruit has significant water requirements, but is also highly sensitive to a lack of oxygen in the root zone. If roots remain waterlogged even for short periods, they can suffer serious damage.

It is precisely this dual requirement that makes irrigation management so delicate: the system must ensure water continuity during critical stages, without creating waterlogging or imbalances in the soil volume explored by the roots. This is also why integrated production guidelines do not allow flood irrigation and require growers to record irrigation dates, water volumes and rainfall, while respecting maximum water volumes according to soil type.

In late July, this balance becomes even more important. High temperatures increase canopy transpiration, while the fruit-sizing stage requires a constant supply of water and nutrients. Without precise management, water stress can affect fruit caliber, uniformity, market quality and overall plant performance.

Why drip irrigation is central to kiwifruit production

In certain environments, actinidia can have very high water requirements, reaching up to 10,000 m³/ha/year. This is why irrigation must be designed to maximize efficiency and distribute water in a regular, localized and controllable way.

In modern kiwifruit orchards, drip irrigation makes it possible to deliver water and nutrients directly to the root zone, reducing waste and allowing inputs to be managed more precisely. This becomes especially important during the fruit development and fruit-sizing stages, when water demand increases and any imbalance can affect fruit caliber, uniformity and final quality.

The timing of these stages varies according to the production area and hemisphere. In Mediterranean and European growing regions, the most sensitive period generally falls in summer, particularly between July and August. In Southern Hemisphere countries such as New Zealand and Chile, the same physiological stage occurs in their summer season, between December and February, depending on cultivar, area and seasonal conditions. For this reason, irrigation scheduling should be based not only on the calendar, but above all on crop stage, soil conditions, evapotranspiration and actual plant water demand.

Irritec offers dedicated solutions for actinidia orchards, with drip lines and localized irrigation systems designed to meet different field conditions. Multibar C®and Multibar F®, as pressure-compensating driplines, are suitable for sloping areas, while Tandem® is a solution designed for flat surfaces. On average, an irrigation system may include around 2,500 linear meters of dripline per hectare, often raised and tied to the kiwifruit support structures.

Emitter selection depends on soil texture and irrigation design: spacings of 30–40 cm and indicative flow rates between 1.5 and 2 l/h make it possible to create a regular wetted area and support efficient water distribution along the row.

Dual-system irrigation: drip for irrigation, sprinklers for protection

In recent years, dual irrigation systems have also become more widespread: drip irrigation for standard water management and sprinklers for climate-control functions, particularly frost protection.

For this application, Irritec offers small anti-insect vibrating sprinklers such as the 700, generally installed one per plant, with flow rates of around 70–80 l/h. Alternatively, dynamic upside-down micro-sprinklers such as the 866 or 866PC can be used. The aim is to wet the soil uniformly, preferably where grass cover is present, making use of the heat released as water freezes during frost events. When properly managed, this approach can help protect the crop during sensitive stages, complementing the function of the drip irrigation system.

 

Fertigation, pH and EC: control that improves quality

In kiwifruit production, irrigation is not just about water. Fertigation is a key tool for distributing nutrients proportionally, efficiently and in line with the needs of the plant.

One factor that must be monitored carefully is pH: values above 7.6 can encourage chlorosis and limit the qualitative development of the fruit. In these cases, controlled acid injection through fertigation can be a useful practice for improving the management of the circulating solution.

At the same time, monitoring pH and EC through in-line sensors helps prevent salinity peaks, imbalances in groundwater quality and uneven fertilizer application. For farms growing both green and yellow kiwifruit in the same area, Irritec has developed proportional fertigation systems with dual recipes, designed to manage different agronomic requirements in a simple and precise way.

Precision makes the difference during the central stage of the season

Kiwifruit is a high-value crop, with high agronomic sensitivity. The competitiveness of the Italian sector depends on the ability to produce quality fruit that is uniform and aligned with market expectations, in an increasingly variable climate context.

This is why, during the central stage of summer, drip irrigation becomes a strategic choice: it supports fruit sizing, optimizes water use, integrates fertigation and helps protect the production potential of the orchard.

With driplines, sprinkler systems, automation and proportional fertigation, Irritec supports farms in the design of efficient solutions for professional kiwifruit cultivation, placing precision, reliability and responsible water management at the center.

 

Sources

 

2026-07-15

3

Kiwifruit: production, market trends and water management during the key stages of the season

Redazione

Editorial Team
Founded in Sicily in 1974, Irritec® is today one of the world’s leading companies in precision irrigation. We design, manufacture, and distribute advanced solutions for open-field crops, greenhouses, and residential irrigation. Our mission is to make every drop count: optimizing resource use to support plant growth and care, while ensuring food security and wellbeing for people and the planet.
✕

Irritec® S.p.A. is a Benefit Corporation

Powered by