PRODUCTION GUIDE OF FRUIT TREES AND PLANTATION CROP

Avocado Production Guide

Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is considered one of the most nutritious fruits in the world. In the
Philippines, however, it has not attained the popularity enjoyed by other fruits despite its early
introduction in 1890. One reason for this is that it lacks that sweetness of such popular fruits as mango,
banana and pineapple. To improve its taste to suit their palate, Filipinos eat avocado with sugar and
milk.

Economic Importance

 Avocado fruit is a rich source of Vitamin A and contains little amount of Vitamin B complex and
E.
 The ripe fruit can be eaten on hand and can be used in preparing fruit salads, flavor for ice-
creams, filling for sandwiches and quick desserts.
 Various parts of the crop have medicinal benefits. The leaves when boiled is a remedy for
diarrhea. Pulp is used to hasten the formation of pus in wounds and even stimulate menstrual
flow. Seeds can be smashed and be used as fillers for toothache.

Varieties/Strains

There are a number of cultivars locally developed,however, avocado is botanically divided into three
races: Mexican, West Indian and Guatemalan.

List of Avocado Varieties, Approved by the Philippine National Seed Industry Council.

Name Characteristics

1. NSIC 95-Av-02 (Parker) Prolific yielder, (500-700 fruits/season) bear fruit both during the late
season & off season; fruit of excellent eating quality, possessing flesh texture (smooth & firm) w/ scanty
fiber with flavor buttery & nutty; high edible portion of 87.0%. a fruit weighs 561.4 g

2. NSIC 97-Av-03 (RCF Morado) Yield, 300-400 fruits/season. Significant small seed (about 9% of the
total fruit weight skin easily peels off; testa does not adhere to the flesh with high edible portion
(80.8%). A fruit weighs 391.5 g

Three Races:
1. Mexican Race – the leaves are aniso-scented, small and sharp at the apex. The seed is large with thin
coats, either separated or adhering to the cotyledons. The surface of the cotyledons is smooth. The
fruits are small with smooth rind adhering to the pulp which are purplish black in color.

Different varieties of Mexican race had been introduced into the Philippines and that include

Ganther

Gottried

Northrop

Puobla

2. West Indian Race – there is no aniso-scent of foliage. The fruit varies in sizes and has poor shipping
quality. The skin is thin, smooth and leathery. The seed is relatively large and often loose in the cavity.
The seedcoat is separated and the cotyledons are rough on surface.

The varieties that belong to West Indian race are:

Family
Pollock

Cardinal

Wester

Lopena

3. Guatemalan Race – this type has a thick rind producing dull, large and rough fruits. The seed is small
and invariably tight fitting. The shell and the skin of this variety is thicker than the Mexican and West
Indian varieties aside from the fact that it has a good shipping quality. The meat is drier than the meat of
the West Indian variety. The surface of the cotyledons is smooth and the fruit is usually borned on the
long stem.

The varieties introduced locally are:

Lyon

Fuerte Variety

Other varieties that have been introduced into the Philippines

Cyrus

Quality

Doughlas

Vega

Cummins

De Leon No. 1

Commodore

Soil and Climatic Requirements

Soil – it can be grown over a wide range of soil types provided with adequate drainage. For best
production, deep, fertile, well-drained soils, particularly sandy or alluvial loam soils and have a pH of
neutral or slightly acid are suited for avocado.

Climate – a climate with alternating wet and dry season and with minimum annual rainfall requirement
of 750 – 1,000 mm is recommended.

Elevation –It does not thrive well in places exposed to strong, excessively hot and dry winds.

Cultural Requirements

Seed Selection and Germination

 Seed used should be obtained from healthy and vigorous trees. Select large seeded fruits
especially when intended for rootstocks to maintain seedlings quality. It is recommended to
plant it at once. If in case it cannot be planted/propagated immediately, store it in the moist
sand or sphagnum moss.
 Seeds are sown with the pointed ends up and with about one-fourth of their length above soil
level. Germination starts 2-3 weeks from planting or sowing.

Care of Seedlings

 The seedlings planted in containers should be provided with temporary shade. Direct exposure
to sunlight may injure the seeds and the emerging one.
 Water the seedlings regularly and if the need arises, spray it with the recommended dosages of
pesticides to control pests.

Propagation – avocado can be propagated either sexually (by seeds) or asexually (by marcotting,
inarching, grafting, and budding). However, propagation through seeds is not recommended for the
resulting plants do not come true-to-type. Sexual propagation is good only for seedling rootstocks.

Marcotting – marcotting is not recommended process, because it is laborious, slow and some varieties
do not respond well to this method. Besides, it takes 4 to 5 months of marcots to produce roots.

Cleft Grafting – this is recommended for larger scale propagation. Use rootstock about 6 to 12 months
old with a stem as large as pencil. Select mature budstick with a well-developed terminal buds.

Shield Budding – it is also recommended for larger propagation. This method is fast and resulting plants
are precarious, low spreading and uniform. Seedling stock for this purpose should be about 23 – 30 cm
tall and its stem is pencil-size. Select mature budwood to facilitate easy bending.

Land Preparation
Backyard Planting – dig a hole wide and large enough to accommodate the ball of the planting material.

Orchard Plantation – prepare the land thoroughly by plowing 2 to 3 times followed by two or more
harrowings until good a tilth is attained. Stake the field with the recommended distance of planting.

Planting – transplant the planting materials when they are about 50 cm tall. The recommended distance
of planting is 9 meters apart accommodating 125 seedlings per hectare. Align the trees in all directions
and finally pack the base of the plant to let the root
system recover early.

Irrigation – in areas with distinct wet and dry

seasons, water supply is very essential during dry
months, especially during the first 2 or 3 years of the
trees. Young trees are very sensitive to heat and water
should be given regularly. Irrigate every two weeks.

Fertilization – in the absence of specific soil analysis, the

general recommendation of fertilization can be follows. Apply 100-200 g Ammonium Sulfate (or about
50-100 g Urea) per tree, one month after planting. Apply the same amount every six months thereafter.
The amount of fertilizer should increase as the trees grow bigger. However, reduce the recommendation
when supplemented with manure or compost. At the start of fruiting, about 500 gm of complete
fertilizer (14-14-14) should be applied per tree twice a year. For full bearing trees (15 to 20 years old)
apply at least 2 kg of complete fertilizer per tree per year. Half of the amount should be applied at the
start of the rainy season and the season half at the end of the rainy season.

Pruning – avocado trees require only little training when properly established from the field. Only those
decayed or dead branches that hamper its growth should be pruned. These varieties which have a
vertical growth can be pruned judiciously to encourage horizontal growth.

Intercropping and Covercropping – it is advantageous to use the vacant spaces in between the main
crop by planting bananas, coffee, papaya, pineapple or short season crops (e.g. corn, mango) and
vegetable (e.g. eggplant, tomato) crops. Intercropping contributes income benefits, helps improve the
land through cultivation and suppresses the growth of weeds. Stop planting intercrops when no longer
feasible. Leguminous cover crops can be planted at this period.

Pest and Diseases

The following are the major diseases of avocado

Root Rot – caused by fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi. This is commonly infecting trees in narrowly
drained water logged areas as it attacks & rapidly kills the roots. The symptoms are yellowing of leaves,
sparse foliage, wilting of leaves, die back of shoots and eventually the whole tree dies.
Anthracnose or Blackspot – this disease is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum gloesporioides Penz. and
attacks the twigs, leaves, flowers and fruits. This disease can be noticed when the fruits start to ripen.
Symptoms can be seen as brown or tan-colored spots on green colored fruits and lighter spots on
purple-colored fruits.

Cercospora Fruit Spot or Blotch – it is caused by the

fungus Cercospora purpuren Cooke, and
produces a slightly brown to dark brown spots confined
on the rind of the fruits. On the leaves, the spots are
angular, brown to chocolate brown and from
irregular patches.
Stem End Rot – caused by Diplodia natalensis Pole Evans. is a common disease of fruits in transit which
lead to huge losses. The rot starts at the stem end and develops as fruits soften. Avoid wounding of the
fruits during harvesting and packing to minimize the disease.

Scab – this disease is caused by Sphacelonia perseae Jerkins, and attacks fruits, young leaves, and
shoots. It is a circular to irregular spots, brown to purplish brown, later fading to light brown.

Insect Pests

Mealybug

It infects avocado as one of its many host plants. It is found on the young shoots or on the peduncle of
fruits, from which it sucks plant sap. Fruits may drop prematurely if heavily infested by mealybugs. On
avacado, it seldom needs control measures.

Moths
A. Avocado barkborer, Aegeria sp.-Often, a bearing avocado tree may be found with a trunk-wound
oozing with jelled plant sap in which may be found caterpillar excretal pellets this bleeding is caused by
the larvae of a clear winged moth Aegeria sp. The caterpillar feeds underneath the bark and may
penetrate into the wood.

B. Tussock Moth, Dasychira mendosa Hubner-The

caterpillars feed on the leaves and/or on the
flowers. These are voracious leaf/flower
feeders causing mild defoliation or extensure destruction of flowers. These are locally called “tilas”. It
has many host plants including guava, beans, pechay, santol, mango.

C. Atlas Moth, Attacus atlas Linn-Its caterpillar feed on

the young and maturity leaves causing serious defoliation.

Bugs
It infests the tender shoots and young fruits. The area around where it has fed collapses and turn black.
Severely damaged young shoots die back.

Fruit fly

Usually attack the fruits that are left to ripen on the tree. Fruit oviposites their eggs on the fruits and
larvae destroy the fruits making them unfit for human consumption. This can be controlled by spraying
any insecticides.

Harvesting, Packing and Marketing

 Seedling tree bear fruits in 4 to 5 years after planting. Asexually propagated ones come into
bearing much earlier.
 Fruits are harvested from April to September and from one season to the next depending on the
size of the previous crop, condition and flowering season.
 Full bearing avacado tree may yield from a few to as much as 1, 200 fruits per crop year. An
average of 500-600 fruits a year may be considered a fair yield.
 The fruits of avocado are very perishable and it needs great care during harvesting operation.
Fruit maturity is indicated by the appearance of reddish streaks in the case of purple varieties
and green to light green on green varieties. Another indication of maturity is when the fruit
produces a hallow-sound when tapped with the fingers.
 Harvesting should be done by using a picking pole with a wire hook a net basket attached to its
end to avoid injury of fruits.
 Fruits should be placed in basket or box lined with packing materials such as dried straw, banana
leaves, etc. for short distant shipment. For long distant shipment, the fruits should be packed
individually with soft paper and packed in a single layered boxes.