California Avocado Varieties:Past, Present and Future (?)

Mary Lu ArpaiaUniversity of California, Riverside

AmemberoftheLaurelfamily(Lauraceae)whichismainlytropicalevergreentreescomposedof~50generaand>3000species

FamilyincludesCinnamon,BayLaurel,CABaytree,RedBayLaurelandsassafrasandnumerousotherPerseaspeciesfoundinSEUSAandthroughoutCentralAmerica

• SeedsfoundinArcheologicalRecordshowinglonghistoryofcultivation

• DerivedfromSpanishAhaucate (aguacate)whichisderivedfromtheAztecword– Ahuacatl

• Alsoknownas“Palta”inChile,AlligatorPearinAfrica

Aztecmanwithguacamole;avocadosonthetree(FlorentineCodex,1500sAD)

• Relatively“new”croptodomestication

• Highlydiverse• Retainsthetraitsthatare

adaptedtoitsnativeneotropical rainforesthabitat

• Thephysiologyofthetreeispoorlyunderstood

PerseaamericanaMill.Family:Lauraceae

3horticulturalraces• Mexican• Guatemalan• WestIndian(Antillean)

Whereistheoriginalhomeoftheavocado?

Mexican Guatemalan West Indian

Native Region Mexican Highlands

Guatemalan Highlands

Tropical lowlands

Climate Adaptation Subtropical Subtropical TropicalCold Tolerance Most Intermediate LeastSalinity Least Intermediate Most

GENERAL TRAITS

Mexican Guatemalan West IndianFlush Color Greenest Reddest Yellowish-green

Anise Scent Present (usually) Absent Absent

Season Early Late Early/IntermediateFruit maturity 5-7 mos. 10-18 mos. 6-8 mons.

LEAF and FLOWER TRAITS

Mexican Guatemalan West Indian

Size Tiny-Medium Small-Large Medium-V. Large

Peel Color Usually purple Black or green Green/maroon

Peel Thickness Very thin Thick Medium

Seed Coat Thin Usually thin Thick

Seed Tightness Often loose Tight Often loose

Flavor “Anise”, spicy Often rich Sweet, mild

Oil Content Highest High Low

FRUIT TRAITS

• Avocadosproducedworldwide• MoretropicalareasproduceWestIndianRacevarieties

• MostleadingavocadoproducingcountriesproduceGuatemalean/Mexicanraceavocados

• LeadingcultivarworldwideisHASS

OneofthefirstavocadotreesplantedinCA- 1870

1870’s – Firsttreesplanted1911 – Firstbuddedtreessold1911 – Fuerte introducedtoCAfromAtlixco Mexico(CarlSchmidtofWestIndiaGardens,Altadena)1915 – FirstmeetingoftheCAAvocadoSociety1915 – W.Popenoe reportson86namedvarieties

TheParent‘Fuerte’TreeinAtlixco,MX(1911)

Popenoe,CAS,1919

FUERTE• Theleadingvarietyfrom1920’sto1970’s

• Adaptedtoawidevarietyofclimates

• Knownforhighfruitquality• Largespreadingtree• Recognizedtohaveerraticorseverealternatebearing

VarietySeedlingYear Location

C.A.S.Reg. orIntroduced Patented

Lyon 1908 Hollywood - -Fuerte 1911 Atlixco, MX 1915 -Hass 1926 LaHabraHts. 1932 1935Zutano 1926 Fallbrook 1932 -Edranol 1927 Vista 1932 -Bacon 1928 BuenaPark 1948 -

Varietiesoriginatingbefore1940

Rudolph and Elizabeth Hass

The CA Avocado Society visits in the 1960’s

‘HASS’

Facts about Hass

• Chance find in La Habra Heights in 1926 and patented in 1935

• Considered interesting but black skin considered a flaw as compared to leading variety, Fuerte

• Did not overtake Fuerte in importance until the planting boom of the mid-1970’s

• Now worldwide leading variety and major variety marketed in US

• High fruit quality when harvested at proper maturity

TheHassAvocadoby H.B.GriswoldCaliforniaAvocadoSociety1945Yearbook30

FromthemarketstandpointtheHasswouldappeartohaveeverything.Excellentquality,popularsize,smallseed,goodshipper,itsleatheryskinandlongseasoncomplimentingtheFuerte.Itssingledisadvantageisitsblackcolorwhichhasbeenassociatedinthemindsofthepublicwithpoorqualityfruits.Experienceisindicatinghoweverthatwhenproperlyhandledthiscolorhandicapcanbeovercome.TheHassvarietygivessatisfactionandrepeatbusinessfollows.

Othervarietiesoriginatingbefore1940

VarietySeedlingYear Location

C.A.S.Reg. orIntroduced Patented

Ettinger 1940 Israel 1954 -Reed 1948 Carlsbad 1953 1967Sharwil 1951 Qld,Australia - -Pinkerton 1960 Saticoy 1974 1975

Varietiesoriginating1940- 1980

Othervarietiesoriginatingbetween

1940- 1980

VarietySeedlingYear Location

C.A.S.Reg. orIntroduced Patented

Gwen - Irvine 1982 1984Whitsell - Irvine 1982 1984Esther - Irvine 1982 1984LambHass 1985 Camarillo 1995 1996SirPrize 1986 Irvine 1995 1996GEM 1985 Camarillo 2003 2003Harvest 1985 Camarillo 2003 2003

Varietiesoriginatingafter1980

UCReleasessince1982

DifferencesbetweenHassandLambHass§ LambHassmaturityseason– midtolatesummer

NOTASUBSTITUTEBUTSUPPLEMENTTOHASS§ Fruitshapeandsize– more“square”butlarger§ LambHasshasmoreuprightgrowthhabit§ Flexiblewood– fruitborneinterioroftree;tendstosetfruitinclusters

§ LambHassismore“tolerant”toPerseamiteandotherpests(?)§ Photosyntheticrateapproximately30%higherthanHassandhigherchlorophyllcontent

Hass Lamb Hass

Growth habit differences between Hass and Lamb Hass

DifferencesbetweenHassandGEM§ Maturityseasonsoverlap;GEMslightlylater- COULDBEASUBSTITUTETOHASS

§ Canaccumulateveryhighlevelsofdrymatter§ Fruitshape– more“teardrop”§ GEMgrowthhabitmorevaselike andcompact§ Flexiblewood– interiorfruiting;tendstosetfruitinclusters§ Pesttolerance(?)§ LessAlternateBearing§ Tendstobemoreproductiveundermostconditions

GemisamorecompacttreethanHass,verysimilartoGwenBearsfruitontheinsideofthetree

0

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400

Gem Hass

kg/tree

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Gem Hass

kg/tree

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Gem Hass

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Gem Hass

kg/tree

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Gem Hass

kg/tree

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2001

Coastal IntermediateIrvine, CA

North InlandSanta Paula, CA

Coastal NorthOxnard, CA

Far NorthArroyo Grande, CA

South InlandFallbrook, CA

Topwork Trials – Kg/treeMixed age trees, seedling rootstock at all sites

Fruitsize– Allsites,allyears

0

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100

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250

GEM Hass

AverageFruitS

ize(g)

Range across all sites:

GEM – 170 (Far North) to 294 (North Coastal)

HASS – 129 (Far North) to 270 (North Coastal)

Alternatebearing– Allsites,allyearsThe lower the number the less alternate bearing

0

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1

GEM Hass

AlternateBe

aringInde

x

Range across all sites:

GEM – 0.43 (Far North) to 0.71 (North Inland)

HASS – 0.65 (North Coastal) to 0.89 (South Inland)

Wehadothervarietiesinthesetrials.InalltrialsthecumulativeyieldofGemwasrankedeither#1or2.AlternatebearingwasleastinGEMatallsites.

Wehavenotedthatclimatecangreatlyinfluencefruitshape(asinallvarieties);inveryhotclimatesthefruitcanbeveryelongated.

Anecdotalobservationsfollowing2007FreezewasthatGEMdidbestinreturnbloom

Bloomtimeandminimumandmaximumtemperaturesin2002.DatacollectedatUCSouthCoastRECinIrvine,CA.

2/25 3/11 3/25 4/8 4/22 5/6 5/20 6/32002

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35

Tota

l Blo

om (%

)

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Temperature (F)

GEM Hass Maximum Air Minimum Air

GEM flowers later than Hass

BL516

BL667

Sir Prize

Harvest

GEM

Lamb Hass

Hass

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180Julian Date

2005200420032002

Duration of bloom over 4 years

Irvine, CA

FruitMaturity- GEMFigure 3. Comparison of changes in dry matter for 'Hass' and 'GEM' at the

UC South Coast REC in Irvine from February through October 2002

1/2 1/16 1/30 2/13 2/27 3/13 3/27 4/10 4/24 5/8 5/22 6/5 6/19 7/3 7/17 7/31 8/14 8/28 9/11 9/25 10/9

2002

24

26

28

30

32

34

Dry

Mat

ter

Cont

ent

(%)

GEM Hass

SimilarpatternofDMtoHass;tendstobeslightlylater

Comparisonofdrymatterchangesoverseason

1/1 1/15 1/29 2/12 2/26 3/12 3/26 4/9 4/23 5/7 5/21 6/4 6/18 7/2 7/16 7/30 8/13 8/27 9/10 9/24 10/8 10/22

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Dry

Mat

ter C

onte

nt (%

)

GEM dry matter content2000 2001 2003 2003 2004 2005

Irvine, CA

What do we know about flavor and postharvest characteristics

IstherelifeafterHass?2perspectives• Market/Tradeconsiderations• LimitationsofHassunderCAconditions

•

PercentageofCAHassCropMarketedbyMonth

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24

Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

%ofC

ACrop CAhasUSmarkettoitself

(1983- 1992)

Chileexceeds20milllb/yr(1997- 1998)

Chiledatafrom97/98– 04/05

Source:CAC

PercentageofCAHassCropMarketedbyMonth

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4

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Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

%ofC

ACrop

CAhasUSmarkettoitself(1983- 1992)

Chileexceeds20milllb/yr(1997- 1998)

Mexicoentersmarket12mos/yrallstates(2005)

Chiledatafrom97/98– 04/05Mexicodatafrom05/06– 09/10

Source:CAC

PercentageofCAHassCropMarketedbyMonth

0

4

8

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24

Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

%ofC

ACrop

CAhasUSmarkettoitself(1983- 1992)

Chileexceeds20milllb/yr(1997- 1998)

Mexicoentersmarket12mos/yrallstates(2005)

PeruentersUSmarket(2010)

Chiledatafrom97/98– 04/05Mexicodatafrom05/06– 09/10Perudatafrom10/11– 15/16Source:CAC,HAB

WhatwillhappentoourmarketingwindowwhenColumbia,SouthAfricaandtheothercountriesthathavepetitionedentryfinallygainentry?Willwebesqueezedevenfurthersince95%ofCA’svolumeisHass?

Thereisapotentialsilverlining• 25countriesallowedtoshipavocadosintothecontinentalUS(USDA-FAVIR)

• MostoftheseareCaribbeancountrieswithlimitedaccesstocontinentalUSandareshippingmainlyWestIndianvarietiesintoUS

Isthereasilverlining?ThereisamarketintheUSforthingsotherthanHASS

*SpainallowedtoshipHassinundercoldtreatment

Thereisapotentialsilverlining• ThemajorimportingsourcesforavocadoarecurrentlyMexico,Chile,Peru

• OftheseMexicoandPeruarelimitedtoONLYHASS• ColombiawillbelimitedtoHass• ThepetitionfromSouthAfricawilllikelyalsoonlyallowHASS

Thesilverlining?Doesthisgiveusanopportunitytodifferentiateourselvesandregainastrong12monthpresentinUSmarket?????

*SpainallowedtoshipHassinundercoldtreatment

Our leading cultivar, ‘Hass’ CAN BE improved:

ü Tree size and structureü Bearing habitü Alternate bearingü Stress tolerance (Cold, Heat, Salinity) ü Disease and pest toleranceü Productivityü Seasonality

It is dangerous to have an industry based on one variety

We need to go from

Here

There

To stay competitive

Thechallengeoffindingnewavocadovarieties

• Longseasonality• Fruitmustberipenedinordertoevaluate;ripeningtimedependsonmaturity

• Eatingqualitychangesthroughouttheseason

• Industrystandard‘Hass’setsahighstandardforpostharvestandeatingquality

Lookingfor:• PrecociousandlowABvarietieswithhighfruitquality

• Upright,slendertreearchitectureforHDplantings

DowehavealternativestoHass?

465418-99Planted 2007 on Duke 7

465518-99Planted 2007 on Duke 7

464918-99Planted 2008 on Duke 7

465202-99Planted 2008 on Duke 7

Environment influences fruit shape and seasonality

Cold and Hot, Inland Valley

Moderate, Coastal

GEM

All planted on Dusa Rootstock

464918-99

Howabouteatingquality?

CollecteddataonVisualandEatingAcceptability

VisualAcceptability EatingAcceptability

1

5

9

Hass 464034-06 465418-99 467352-00 BL516 GEM1

5

9

Hass 464034-06 465418-99 467352-00 BL516 GEM

IndustryStd IndustryStdUCRelease UCRelease

Exampleofmonthlyrating– 07/16/2014

1

5

9Like extremely

Neither like or dislike

Dislike extremely

Avocado Grower Field Day Taste Panel Results - 2014

Visualacceptabilityacrossallyears(8newselections)

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9

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2012 2013 2014

Hass 442712-05 464034-06 464918-99 465006-99 465202-99 465418-99 465518-99 467352-00

Flavoracceptabilityacrossallyears(8newselections)

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9

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2012 2013 2014

Hass 442712-05 464034-06 464918-99 465006-99 465202-99 465418-99 465518-99 467352-00

THEBIGPICTUREHavearangeofbothdarkskinandgreenskinvarietiesthatarecomparableto‘Hass’intermsofeatingqualityWeHAVEmaterialthatpotentiallycan

• Provide12monthmarketcoverage• Improvedtreearchitecture• Precocious• Greateryieldefficiency

The road from the grove to the consumer

The most important thing to remember is that there is a continuum from the grower to the

consumer

Enhancedproductivityandproductionefficiency

Satisfiedconsumersandincreasedconsumption

THEULTIMATEGOAL

Thank you for your attention

InformationgatheredfromTheCaliforniaAvocadoSocietyYearbooksUCExperimentStationandUSDAdocuments

AllArchivedonwww.avocadosource.com

Questions?

Thankyou!

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