Chapter2- AvocadoBotanyandCommercialCultivarsGrownin

California

GaryS.BenderSubtropicalHorticulture

WheredoAvocadosComeFrom?

• SouthernMexicoandCentralAmericaistheareaoforiginforavocado;wildavocadoscanstillbefoundinrainforests.

• Mexicoistheleadingproducerofavocadobyfar,followedbyChileandIndonesia.USAwasfourthinproduction(2009),seventhinproduction(2014)– Thischangesfromyeartoyear

Production(2014)MeticTons

• Mexico 1,520,695• DomRep 428,301• Peru 349,317• Indonesia 307,326• Columbia 288,739• Kenya 218,692• USA 179,124

• Rwanda 161,519• Chile 160,000• Brazil 156,699

WorldwideIncreaseinAvocadoProduction

HassAvocadosCaliforniaandImports

millionsofpounds2014Calif. Mexico Chile Dom.Rep. NewZealand Peru282 1,331 89 2.7 6.6 144

2015Calif. Mexico Chile Dom.Rep. NewZealand Peru262 1,773 21 19 0.27 106

• InCalifornia,formanyyears,SanDiegoCountygrewalmosthalfofalltheavocadosproducedintheUS,howeverthisisdecliningduetohighwaterprices.

• TherestoftheproductionisfromVentura,SantaBarbara,RiversideandSanLuisObispocounties.

San Diego County now has 35% of the acreage

Cultivar Bearing Acreage

Estimated yield (lbs/A) in 2001-2002

Estimated yield in California (million lbs)

in 2001-2002

Hass 51, 575 7,044 363.3Fuerte 1,452 4,125 6.0Bacon 1,961 6,645 13.0Zutano 706 3,144 2.2Pinkerton 1,035 4,715 4.9Reed 430 7,163 3.1Gwen 260 5,633 1.5Lamb Hass 420 5,143 2.2Other 388 3,058 1.2

Total 58,227 6,825 397.4

VarietalProduction2001-2002

Cultivar Acreage(includes 7,800

acres of topped/stumped

groves)

Yield in lbs/A in 2011-2012

Yield in California

(million lbs) in 2011-2012

Hass 56,548 7,924 448.1

Lamb Hass 1,964 5,295 10.4

Other 1,117 3,312 3.7

Total 59,629 7,753 462.3

VarietalProduction2011-2012

WorldAvocadoProduction

5/29/16– 5/14/2017

Botany• AvocadobelongstotheLauraceaefamily• Inthisfamily,onlytwosignificantgeneraforagriculture• Genus:Persea(50othergenerainLauraceae,mostlytropical

orsubtropical)(afewtemperategeneraincludingSassafrasfromeasternU.S.)

• Genus:Cinnamomumincludescinnamonandcamphorspecies

• Family:Lauraceae– Genus:Persea

• Subspecies:Persea– IncludesPersea americana (commercialavocado}– AndP.shiedeana (parentofaresistantrootstockG755)

• Subspecies:Eriodaphne– Agroupofspeciesresistanttoavocadorootrot,butnotgraftcompatiblewithcommercialavocadocultivars

AvocadoRaces(botanicalvarieties)

• Perseaamericanaisthegenusandspeciesofthecommercialavocado

• OtherssuchasPerseaborboniaareimmunetorootrotfungus,buttheyarenotgraftcompatiblewithcommercialvarieties

1. Mexicanrace(thinskinned)2. Guatemalanrace (thickskinned)3. WestIndianrace(verytropical)

CharacteristicsofBotanicalRaces

• Mexican:earlierharvest,anisesmelltoleaves,thinskin,morecoldtolerant,seedsizeislarge,norootrottolerance,verysensitivetosalinity

• Guatemalan:laterharvest,noanisesmelltoleaves,thickskin,intermediatecoldtolerance,seedsizesmall,norootrottolerance,salttoleranceintermediate

CharacteristicsofBotanicalRaces

WestIndian:earliestharvest,noanisesmelltoleaves, mediumskinthickness, leastcoldtolerant,seedsizevariable,poorrootrottolerance,mostsalttolerance, fruittextureis‘watery’

• Moretoleranttotropicalconditions.• Shortharvestseasons.Floridahasselectedearly,midandlateseasoncultivarstoextendtheirseason

TheCaliforniaVarieties

• Hass andFuerte (andmanyothers)areMexican-Guatemalanhybrids– TheMexicangenesimpartearlierharvest– TheGuatemalangenesimpartathickerpeel,allowingsuccessfulshippingoffruit

– AninterestinWestIndianasarootstockbecauseithasbettersalttolerance

Freezing

• Hass(85%Guatemalan,15%Mexican)fruitwillfreezeifheldat29Fforfourhours

• Fuerte(50-50Guatemalan/Mexican)fruitwillfreezeifheldat26-27Fforfourhours

• Bacon(mostlyMexican)fruitwillfreezeifheldat25Fforfourhours

Hass

HarvestSeasonforHass

• Jan-Aug(SanDiego)• AslateasJune-OctinSantaBarbaraandSanLuisObispoCounties

• AlmostyearroundinCalif.(butnotquite)• Oftensizepickedfor7.5to9.0ouncefruit(size48)togetthebestprices

FuerteandPinkerton

Reed

LambHass

Zutano

Bacon

AvocadoCultivars• ProblemswithHass–WhywehaveabreedingprojectColdtenderProductivityisinferiorTreeproductionalternatesGroveproductionvariesfromyeartoyear(1,813lbs.to20,995lbs.inonegroveoverafiveyearperiod)IndustryproductionvariesfromyeartoyearBlackcolornotuniversallyacceptedintheavocado(1950’s)ThetreeistoolargeHassismoresubjecttostresses(drought,salinity,insectdamage)

Holiday(XX3)• HOLIDAY• Parentage:Guatemalan• Peels: Yes• SeedSize:Medium• SkinTexture: Medium• BlossomType:A• FruitShape:Obovate• SkinColorUnripe: Green• SkinColorRipe: Green• SkinThickness:Medium• AverageFruitWeightoz: 18-24• %RatioSkin/Seed/Flesh: 16:13:71•

SirPrize• SirPrize• Parentage:Mexicanhybrid

Peels:YesSeedSize: SmallSkinTexture:MediumBlossomType:BFruitShape:ObovateSkinColorUnripe: GreenSkinColorRipe: BlackSkinThickness:ThinAverageFruitWeightoz:10-20%RatioSeed/Skin/Flesh: 9:8:83

Mexicola• Parentage:Mexican

Peels:NoSeedSize: LargeSkinTexture:SmoothBlossomType:AFruitShape:ObovateSkinColorUnripe: BlackSkinColorRipe: BlackSkinThickness:ThinAverageFruitWeightoz:4to6.5%RatioSeed/Skin/Flesh: 27:12:61

GEM• Parentage:Guatemalan

Peels:YesSeedSize:MediumSkinTexture:MediumBlossomType:AFruitShape:EllipsoidSkinColorUnripe: GreentoBlackSkinColorRipe: BlackSkinThickness:ThickAverageFruitWeightoz:7to11%RatioSeed/Skin/Flesh: 15:13:72

• FruitoxidizesslowerthanHass

GEMontheleft,Hassontheright

CentralValley

• OneoftheresearchgoalsistodevelopavarietythatdoeswellintheCentralValley

• Dr.MaryLuArpaiasaysthatGEM,andtwonewvarieties‘lunchbox’andanun-namedvarietydowellinVisalia

Harvest• Parentage:Guatemalan

Peels:YesSeedSize: LargeSkinTexture:MediumBlossomType:AFruitShape:HighspheriodSkinColorUnripe: DarkGreenSkinColorRipe: BlackSkinThickness:ThickAverageFruitWeightoz:7to10%RatioSeed/Skin/Flesh: 15:14:71

• MaturelateseasonsameasLambHassorReed

WestIndianracelarger,thinnerskinnedandmorewaterythanMexican-

Guatemalanhybrids

“Cukes”(non-fertilized,noseed)fairlycommonintheFuertecultivar

AvocadoBreedingProgram

“Itisdangeroustohaveanindustrybasedononevariety”- Dr.MaryLuArpaia,UCExtensionHorticulturist

“Hasscanbeimproved”1. Treesizeandstructure2. Bearinghabit3. Alternatebearing4. Stresstolerance5. Diseaseandpest

tolerance6. Productivity7. Seasonality