New cultivar trials
NZ Avocado imported the following rootstock cultivars in 2022-23. Plant material remains in quarantine and is expected to be released to nurseries for amplification in May 2024.
-
Haskelberg Nursery
- Canacado 340
- West Indian
- High yield
- Good in heavy soil
- Salinity tolerance
- High Phytophthora tolerance
- Good calcium uptake
- Canacado 340
-
Nuleaf (UC Riverside)
- UCRa
- Mexican x Guatemalan hybrid
- Good Phytophthora resistance
- Good salinity tolerance
- Small vigourous trees. Under some circumstances smaller than Dusa but similar yield.
- Low alternate bearing
- Low mortality but lower survival than Dusa at some sites.
- Some heat tolerance
- UCRb
- Mexican x Guatemalan hybrid
- Good Phytophthora resistance
- Good salinity tolerance
- Low mortality and in some fields better than Dusa.
- Vigourous trees
- Moderate heat tolerance
- Good yield similar to Dusa and better in some fields
- Low alternate bearing when grafted to Hass.
- Yield efficiency higher than Dusa in at least 1 trial.
- UCRc
- Mexican
- Highly resistant to Phytophora
- Very vigourous trees of similar size to Dusa
- Some level of salinity tolerance
- Similar yield to Dusa
- Low alternate bearing
- UCRd
- Mexican
- Highly resistant to Phytophthora
- Very vigourous trees similar to Dusa in size
- Good yields that are similar or better than Dusa
- Low alternate bearing
- Low mortality. 0% compared to 80% in Dusa
- UCRa
New Zealand Avocado ran cultivar trials (planted 2009-2013) in commercial orchards in the Bay of Plenty and Whangarei. Trees in the trial blocks were assessed regularly in order to evaluate their performance and determine their suitability for commercial use in New Zealand conditions. Tree traits which are assessed include trunk diameter, flush activity, flower intensity and health. Harvest assessments are also undertaken in order to evaluate the yield produced by each tree and the fruit size produced. Cultivar assessment trials are below:
PGP New Cultivars Working Groups consisting of growers and rural professionals have been set up in Whangarei and Bay of Plenty in order to collaboratively look at different aspects of new cultivar varieties on commercial orchards in their respective regions. In order to make information more widely available, in collaboration with the working group, profiles have been created for each of the trial orchards containing information on the trial and assessment data. These can be found below.