🌱 Climate and Soil Requirements
- Climate: Best in warm, frost-free regions (15–30°C). Some cold-hardy varieties withstand short chills.
- Rainfall: Ideal 1000–1500 mm/year. Supplement with irrigation during dry spells.
- Soil: Deep, fertile, sandy loam or alluvial soils | pH 5–7 | Must be well-drained (avoids root rot).
🌳 Varieties
- Hass (most popular, darkens on ripening)
- Fuerte (pear-shaped, smooth skin)
- Bacon, Zutano, Pinkerton, Reed (climate-specific)
🌰 Propagation
Seed propagation is mainly for rootstocks. Commercial orchards use grafting/budding – scions of elite varieties grafted on rootstocks for uniform yield.
🌾 Planting
- Spacing: Standard: 7 × 7 m (200 trees/ha) | High-density: 5 × 5 m (400 trees/ha).
- Pits: 60×60×60 cm pits filled with compost + topsoil.
- Season: Start of rainy season.
💧 Management Practices
- Irrigation: Regular but avoid waterlogging | Drip irrigation ideal.
- Mulching: Retains soil moisture & improves fertility.
- Pruning: Shapes trees & removes diseased branches.
- Fertilization: Balanced NPK + organic matter | Requires boron, zinc, calcium.
🐞 Pests and Diseases
- Pests: Mites, thrips, fruit borers.
- Diseases: Phytophthora root rot (serious issue, managed with resistant rootstocks & drainage) | Anthracnose (fruit disease, managed by copper sprays).
🥑 Harvesting and Yield
- Bearing: 3–4 years (grafted plants).
- Maturity signs: Skin color change, oil content, or fruit floating test (variety-specific).
- Yield: 5–20 tons/ha depending on age & management.
📦 Postharvest Handling
- Avocados ripen after harvest (climacteric fruit).
- Storage: 5–12°C slows ripening.
- Ethylene exposure accelerates ripening for marketing.