Avocado (Persea spp.)

Abstract

Avocado fruit is produced almost exclusively for fresh consumption. It is generally considered in Europe and the United States as a luxury item, but in the lands of its origin in Central America, avocado fruit is a staple food (Popenoe 1920). It has a good nutritional value with a high content of polyunsaturated oil, protein and vitamins (Ahmed and Barmore 1980). The cultivated avocado is a large, spreading, evergreen tree belonging to the genus Persea (Fig. 1 a). It is represented by three quite distinct races named according to their ecological origin, Mexican [P. drymifolia, Cham. & Schlecht (P. americana var. drymifolia, Mez.)], Guatemalan and West Indian [P americana, Mill (P. gratissima, Gaertn.)] (Popenoe 1920). Cultivars of economic importance are usually hybrids of these races. The distribution of avocado production is tropical and sub-tropical in region, generally between 40 °N and 40 °S of the equator (Gustafson 1976). Avocados are produced in over 40 countries throughout Africa, North and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. In 1981, world production of avocado fruit reached 1.53 million metric tons, of which 30.9% was produced in Mexico, 13.7% in the USA, 9.1% in Brazil and 8.7% in the Dominican Republic (FAO 1981). This figure indicates that the avocado ranks only as a minor fruit (e.g. citrus 55.35 million mt and grape 61.74 million mt), yet it is one which commands a high price on world markets.