Cumulative effects of winter shallow water-table conditions on stem growth and yield of kiwifruit

'Hayward' kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chev.) C F. Liang et A.R. Ferguson) plants were planted in 1984 on a clay loam soil and grown for 6 years over a gradient of winter shallow water-table conditions, in the range between 0 and 2.0 m . Two irrigation regimes were imposed in the summer, providing 50 and 125% of maximum crop evapotranspiration (ETc) as estimated via a Class "A" pan. Water-table depths in the range between 0 and 0.50 m caused high rates of plant mortality. Fruit yield of surviving plants was lower, the result of a reductlon in the number of fruits per plant However, irrigation during summer had a beneficial effect on fruit number. No differences in flowering patterns could be evidenced in response to the treatments.