The haplotype-resolved genome assembly of the hexaploid kiwifruit Actinidia deliciosa reveals its hybrid origin and polysomic inheritance

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The kiwifruit (genus Actinidia) exhibits extensive polyploidy, with natural populations ranging from diploid to tetraploid, hexaploid, and even higher ploidy levels. Actinidia deliciosa (green kiwifruit) is typically hexaploid (2n = 6x = 174), whereas its close relative A. chinensis (golden kiwifruit) is primarily diploid (2n = 2x = 58) or tetraploid. This ploidy diversity reflects a reticulate evolutionary history, likely shaped by hybridization and genome duplication involving multiple ancestral lineages. Determining the origin and inheritance of hexaploid A. deliciosa-the dominant kiwifruit species in global cultivation-is critical for understanding the role of polyploidization in the evolution of this species and for the development of breeding strategies.