Embattled kiwifruit growers around the country are hoping that a gold kiwifruit cultivar could be the answer to their prayers.

G3, an early season gold variety is showing promising tolerance to the Psa-V disease which has decimated kiwifruit gold orchards in the Bay of Plenty.

G3, is showing signs it could survive Psa but it is still too early to predict whether it will be a credible or bankable replacement for the current gold varietry, Hort16A.

Zespri Chief Executive Lain Jager told Nelson Growers last week it was inevitable Psa would spread across the country, and despite a huge R & D programme, no cure had yet been found for Hort 16A.

Next year’s gold harvest is predicted to halve, from 30 million trays to 15-17 million trays.

If G3 continued to show resistance over the next few months then Zespri would be talking to growers about swapping from Hort 16A.

Mr Jager said G3 provided the hope it represented a commercial step on the pathway to recovery.