Zespri has confirmed that four new naturally-bred kiwifruit varieties will be released to grower trials following extensive testing, as reported by Fruitnet on 18 July.

The varieties, bred by Zespri's exclusive breeding partner HortResearch, cover a number of specific criteria including fruit size, attractiveness, long storage and shelf-life, high nutritional content and good flavour, said Zespri's acting CEO Lain Jager in a statement.

'Breeding, selecting, evaluating and releasing new kiwifruit varieties requires decades of commitment. The four new varieties that growers will be trialling have been under assessment for the past six to seven years, and form part of a 25-year research programme,' Mr Jager said, adding that the varieties will include both Green and Gold kiwifruit.

He added that if the pre-commercial trials prove successful, at least one of the trial varieties could be commercially released as early as 2010.

Dr Bruce Campbell, acting CEO at HortResearch, said he was excited to see the new varieties near commercialisation. 'It is pleasing to see the fruits of so much hard work emerging as products that will really excite the consumer.'