The aim of kiwifruit breeding is to improve the flavour, to increase the yield, to change the colour of the fruit matrix, to extend the subsistence and the storage life, to adapt to climatic conditions and to introduce new characteristics. To achieve these, the knowledge and usage of conventional and biotechnological methods are required. Since there are some limitation in kiwifruit breeding using conventional methods, the development and usage of biotechnological approaches play an important role in achieving the desired properties and increasing yields in kiwifruit breeding programs. The main goal of this study is a review of the past achievements in kiwifruit breeding using biotechnological methods for interspecific crosses within the Actinidia genus. One of the methods is the somatic hybridization with the fusion of protoplasts which has proven to be an effective method to overcome the interspecific incompatibility. It is used to combine the genetic background of two species faster and to express the desired properties in hybrids in the F1 generation. The next method is embryo rescue technique, which prevents the atrophy of embryos of the hybrids and at the same time overcomes the dormancy of seeds. Various techniques of manipulation of ploidy in kiwi are presented, among which are haploidization, induction of chromosome doubling and the use of endosperm culture. These can prevent aneuploidy and inability for further fertilization. The last one is the genetic transformation of kiwifruit plants, which enables quicker and more targeted expression of the desired characteristics and consequently the creation of new cultivars, as well as an increase in the quantity and quality of the harvest.
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