Analysis of global Actinidia research and application progress based on domestic and international journal papers

Based on the Web of Science core collection and the CNKI journal database of the China Knowledge Network platform, this study focused on 5 320 kiwifruit (Actinidia) research papers included in SCI and CNKI core journals from 2003 to 2022. Bibliometric analysis was used to examine the publications by year, geographic region, and subject area. Results revealed a consistent upward trend in the quantity of publications in both SCI and CNKI core journals over the past two decades. China emerged as the most prolific contributor to SCI articles, followed by New Zealand and Italy. The institutions contributing the highest number of papers included Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, Wuhan Botanical Garden of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Jiangxi Agricultural University. Kiwifruit research involved 131 disciplines, as such plant science, horticulture, plant pathology and entomology, fruit storage and processing, molecular biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and bioinformatics, as well as interdisciplinary research papers. The fastest-growing disciplines over the past 5 years include molecular biology, plant pathology, and fruit storage. This bibliometric analysis serves as a resource for researchers to understand global kiwifruit research dynamics, establish research directions, and conduct academic exchange.