Kiwifruit fruit size distributions

The distribution of fruit weight at harvest from 0.5 ha blocks of kiwifruit in the Kerikeri district is shown to closely approximate a Normal distribution with a constant standard deviation of 20.5 g. The standard deviation changed less than 2 g between seasons despite wide variations in the mean fruit weight with crop loading and vine age. This Normal approximation provides a mathematically convenient assumption which should be considered when modelling the influence of management practices on yield or the effect of industry pricing schedules on grower returns.