ROCZNIK POLSKIEGO TOWARZYSTWA DENDROLOGICZNEGO Vol. 60 – 2012 • 61 - 67 Introduction The genus Actinidia Lindl. belongs to the Actinidiaceæ family. The systematics of Actinidia are not straightforward, and taxonomists are not in agreement over the number of existing species, but according to recent research there are 55 (Li et al. 2009). All Actinidia come from the Asian continent, and for the majority the range is within China. Actinidia is most known around the world thanks to the kiwifruit (A. deliciosa (A. Chev) C.F. Liang et A.R. Ferguson), the commercial cultivation of which developed in the second half of the Twentieth Century. The plant is cultivated in countries with a warm climate, mainly New Zealand, USA, Chile and Italy. This unusual fruit is one of the most identifable ‘new’ products available on the fruit market. Kiwifruit is not only popular thanks to their unusual look and successful marketing, but also because of their taste and Some morphological and biological features of ‘Bingo’ – a new hardy kiwifruit cultivar from Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS) in Poland Wybrane cechy morfologiczne i biologiczne nowej odmiany aktinidii ‘Bingo’, wyselekcjonowanej w Szkole Głównej Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego w Warszawie PIOTR LATOCHA Department of Environment Protection, Warsaw University of Life Sciences Katedra Ochrony Środowiska, Szkoła Główna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego w Warszawie ul. Nowoursynowska 159; 02-776 Warsaw, Poland e-mail: piotr_latocha@sggw.pl Received: 25 th March 2012, Accepted: 5 th September 2012 AbstrAct: Hardy kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta) is a relatively new crop, and new cultivars suitable for commercial production are still needed. This paper outlines the results of research on the morphological and biological features of ‘Bingo’, a new cultivar of hardy kiwifruit obtained in the breeding programme conducted at Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS), Poland. The research was conducted in 2008 and 2009. ‘Bingo’ is a F1 hybrid between A. purpurea ‘Purpurna Sadova’ and A. arguta. Its fruit is dominated by the characteristics of A. arguta. The fruits of ‘Bingo’ are elliptical and laterally fattened, with an average weight of 8.1 g (max. 14.4 g). Ripe fruit have a smooth yellow-green skin with a strong rose-red blush. Fruiting potential (88.2 fruit/1m of fruiting arm) is lower than that of ‘Ananasnaya’ but greater than that of ‘Jumbo’. Ripe fruit of ‘Bingo’ is rich in vitamin C, has pleasant sensory characteristics and good consumer acceptance. The plants can be successfully cultivated in central Poland’s climate. Key words: Actinidia arguta, Actinidia purpurea, Bower actinidia, kiwiberry, selection health value. They stand out because of high levels of vitamin C, but also because they are rich in phenolics, carotenoids and folic acid. Their health benefts established during in vitro research (Jung et al. 2005) were also confrmed during in vivo (Duttaroy, Jørgensen 2004). In 2000 kiwi fruit was recognised as the most nutritional of the 27 most commonly eaten fruits (California Kiwifruit Commision 2000), as a result they became known as the ‘healthy fruit’. In countries with a moderate climate, research and selection work on cold resistant species of Actinidia has been conducted. In Poland even before the Second World War work was carried out on Actinidia arguta (Siebold et Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq., recognising many benefts of its fruit (Muszyński 1939). Unfortunately the Second World War interrupted this research. After the war, many cultivars of A. kolomikta (Maxim. et Rupr.) Maxim. were obtained in Lithuania (Pranckietis, Pranckietiene 2000,