Research on Avocados Promising for the Growers

According to the latest news in the horticultural world, a board of Australian researchers have made a significant breakthrough in the world of avocados. This research will revolutionize the way that this fruit is grown. Moreover, this will also ensure that the heightened demand for avocados is met. The scientists, hailing from the University of Queensland, has opined that according to their research this state is the greatest producer of avocados. Hence, they have devised a way to use a single millimetre of tree cutting to create up to 500 new trees. Until now, each cutting only produces one new tree.

The innovation, resulting from the research, is likely to transform the already financially fruitful industry, which is worth about US$ 386.8 million annually, with every Australian consuming about 3.8 kilograms of avocados each year. Currently, avocado growers currently wait up to three years from placing their order at a nursery to putting a tree in the ground. With the new system, that time will be cut to about a year.

Unlike traditional avocado propagation, where trees must be grown in fields for seed production, the new process enables 25,000 plants to be produced in a 10-m² room. Trials of the research process, using the popular Hass variety of avocado, are already underway in the states of Queensland, Western Australia, and New South Wales.

According to the latest research, Australia’s avocado production is divided into regions that have similar growing conditions and seasons. Some regions cross state boundaries. As mentioned above, the majority of the fruit is produced in Queensland. Presently, production in Central Queensland shows continued signs of recovery from the flooding events of 2011 and 2013.