Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 18-24 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/tgmb 18 Research Insight Open Access Harnessing Genetic Diversity for Kiwifruit Breeding: Opportunities and Challenges Dandan Huang Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding email: dandan.huang@hibio.org Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/tgmb.2025.15.0003 Received: 30 Dec., 2024 Accepted: 31 Jan., 2025 Published: 08 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Huang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Huang D.D., 2025, Harnessing genetic diversity for kiwifruit breeding: opportunities and challenges, Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 15(1): 18-24 (doi: 10.5376/tgmb.2025.15.0003) Abstract This study expounds how to utilize genetic diversity in kiwifruit breeding, as well as the opportunities and difficulties encountered in this process. It explains the assistance of new technologies such as genomic selection and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in improving breeding efficiency. It also introduces the genetic resources of wild kiwifruit varieties. This study hopes to strengthen the protection of these resources and cultivate new kiwifruit varieties that adapt to climate change and meet market demands in the future, aiming to ensure the long-term and stable development of this industry. Keywords Genetic diversity; Kiwifruit breeding; Omics technologies; Wild germplasm resources; Genomic selection 1 Introduction Kiwifruit (belonging to the genus Actinidia) is a fruit rich in nutrition and of high economic value. It originated in China and has been widely cultivated in countries such as New Zealand, Italy, and Chile with the breeding of new varieties and the advancement of agricultural technology (Hu et al., 2022; Nazir et al., 2024). Kiwifruit is rich in vitamins C, E and K and is a very valuable fruit in the global fruit market. However, the characteristics of kiwifruit, such as relatively low genetic diversity, a long juvenile period, dioecious plants and highly heterozygous genes, make breeding slow and complex, and require the use of new genetic techniques to improve efficiency. Genetic diversity is particularly important when dealing with these aspects, as it can provide the basis of variation needed for breeding. Ferguson (2007), Zhang et al. (2015), and Oh et al. (2018) hold that understanding and utilizing the diversity within the Actinidia genus is beneficial for cultivating better kiwifruit varieties. This study analyzed how to better utilize genetic diversity in kiwifruit breeding, summarized the current basic situation of kiwifruit research and proposed several ideas for introducing superior traits into the breeding plan by analyzing the genetic resources of the Actinidia genus. This study also explored the application prospects of new technologies such as marker-assisted selection and genomic selection, aiming to accelerate the breeding of new varieties that adapt to climate change and meet market demands. 2 Overview of Kiwifruit Genetic Diversity 2.1 Taxonomy and evolutionary history of kiwifruit Kiwifruit belongs to the Actinidiaceae family. Actinidia chinensis and Actinidia deliciosa are the two most common and economically valuable varieties. Kiwifruit originated in China and its cultivation history can be traced back hundreds of years. Hu et al. (2022) and Nazir et al. (2024) demonstrated that it is dioecious, which is both a challenge and an opportunity in breeding. Fraser et al. (2009) found in their early research that how the sex of kiwifruit is determined is still under study. Recent research has identified chromosomes that may be related to sex. 2.2 Global distribution of wild and cultivated kiwifruit germplasm China, New Zealand, Italy and Chile are several major kiwifruits growing countries. These places have suitable climates and have cultivated many new varieties, becoming important kiwifruit production bases (Zhong et al.,
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