Germination of kiwifruit, Actinidia chinensis, after passage through Silvereyes, Zosterops lateralis
Silvereyes, Zosterops lateralis Latham, commonly feed on kiwifruit rejected for export and either stored in open bins at packhouses or in piles ready to be fed to livestock, and may play a role in the spread of wild kiwifruit in native and exotic forest in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. We determined the germination rate and percentage germination of Actinidia chinensis Planch. seed sown (1) after gut passage through silvereyes, (ingested seed), (2) after a standard laboratory fruit pulp removal method (enzyme-extracted seed), (3) as entire fruit and (4) as fruit sections.