The sub-tropical climate of Calabria provides ideal conditions for growing kiwi and today the area is regarded as one of the greatest producers of the fruit outside of New Zealand. Local agricultural distributor Lentini s.r.l and A.R.S.A.C, the regional agency for agricultural development in Calabria, are organising a meeting “The kiwi and its cultivation in Calabria” at the Park Hotel Uliveto Principessa, Calabria, on 27 March 2014.

The technical services manager of ORO AGRI in Italy, Sabino Lorusso, will be presenting at the event explaining the benefits of the plant-derived soil wetting aid ORO UMID on kiwi. Water is vital to crop production and this product, which is a blend of organic surfactants and natural plant extracts, can help to improve infiltration and lateral distribution of water and overcome hydrophobicity.

Trials have shown that using ORO UMID will give better production and plant health. This focused meeting aims to consider all aspects of kiwi production and will investigate the challenges facing producers in terms of bacterial and fungal diseases, plant nutrition and irrigation. ORO AGRI and other industry role players, BMS Micronutrients, Castaldo srl and Manica will introduce their products and how they can benefit kiwi production in the region.