Abstract: ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruits harvested at different maturities were treated with exogenous ethylene. Fruit quality parameters were measured at different times after the treatment. Our aim was to determine the appropriate harvest time for the ‘Hongyang’ cultivar. Furthermore, the influence of ethylene concentration and temperature on the ripening process was investigated. The results showed that ripened and softened fruits could be accepted by consumers only when kiwifruits reached a certain degree of maturity (dry matter content greater than 17%), allowing for earlier harvesting and marketing. Softening of ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruits was completed in 3–5 days when treated with ethylene at 25–100 μL/L treatment (20 ℃), and there was no significant difference in soluble solid content (SSC) or titratable acidity (TA) between different concentration treatments. Temperature was an important factor that affects the ripening. At higher temperature (20 ℃), ethylene could significantly shorten the softening process.

Key words: ‘Hongyang’ kiwifruit, accelerated ripening, maturation, ethylene concentration, temperature