On 17 August 2012 14:17, Mervyn & Elsie Maciel < mervynels.watuwasha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Fred, > > My own experience while still at school in Aldona was that > avocados didn't do well in our Goa climate. Let me explain - > my maternal grandfather(ex Zanzibar) had an avocado plant(at our Moira > house) > which he had grown, presumably from seed/s he had brought back from > Zanzibar. The plant had grown into a huge tree but we rarely saw any fruit > on it. He often told us about how delicious this fruit was(I'd > never even seen one then!), but it had to be many years later that I > enjoyed 'king-size avocados especially at Kisii in Kenya and also > at my in-laws in Kitale(Kenya). > Maybe there's someone in Goa who can come up with a more positive story? > > > Mervyn(M) > REPLY: Cultivation <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Avocado_Seedling.jpg> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Avocado_Seedling.jpg> *Persea americana*, young avocado plant (seedling), complete with parted pit and roots <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2005avocado.PNG> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2005avocado.PNG> Worldwide avocado output in 2005 Food and agriculture[image: Avocado.jpeg]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Avocado.jpeg> *Avocado fruit (cv. 'Fuerte'); left: whole, right: in section**Country**Quantity (Tm <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_ton>)*World Rank[12]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado#cite_note-FAO-11> Mexico1,040,3901Indonesia263,5752United States of America214,0003Colombia 185,8114Brazil175,0005Chile163,0006Dominican Republic140,0007Peru102,0008 China85,0009Ethiopia81,50010[12]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado#cite_note-FAO-11> The tree grows to 20 m (66 ft), with alternately arranged leaves<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaf> 12 centimetres (4.7 in) - 25 centimetres (9.8 in) long. The flowers<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower> are inconspicuous, greenish-yellow, 5 millimetres (0.2 in) - 10 millimetres (0.4 in) wide. The pear <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pear>-shaped fruit is 7 centimetres (2.8 in) - 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long, weighs between 100 grams (3.5 oz) - 1,000 grams (35 oz), and has a large central seed<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed>, 5 centimetres (2.0 in) - 6.4 centimetres (2.5 in) long.[13]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado#cite_note-isbn0-9610184-1-0-12> The subtropical <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtropical> species needs a climate without frost and with little wind. High winds reduce the humidity, dehydrate the flowers, and affect pollination. When even a mild frost occurs, premature fruit drop may occur, although the Hass<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hass_avocado> cultivar <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultivar> can tolerate temperatures down to -1°C. The trees also need well-aerated soils, ideally more than 1 m deep. Yield is reduced when the irrigation water is highly saline<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salinity>. These soil and climate conditions are available only in a few areas of the world, particularly in southern Spain <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain>, Portugal <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal>, Morocco<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morocco> , Crete <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crete>, the Levant<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levant> , South Africa <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa>, Colombia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colombia> , Peru <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peru>, parts of central and northern Chile <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile>, Vietnam<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam> ,Indonesia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia>, parts of southern India<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India> , Sri Lanka <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka>, Australia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia> , New Zealand <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand>, the Philippines<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Philippines> , Malaysia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia>, Central America<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_America>, the Caribbean, Mexico <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico>, California<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California> , Arizona <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona>,Puerto Rico<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico> , New Mexico <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico>, Texas<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas> , Florida <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida>, Hawai'i<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawai%27i> , Ecuador <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecuador> and Rwanda<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda>. Each region has different types of cultivars. [edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avocado&action=edit§ion=4> ]Harvest and postharvest Commercial orchards produce an average of seven tonnes<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonnes> per hectare <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hectare> each year, with some orchards achieving 20 tonnes per hectare.[14]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado#cite_note-13> Biennial bearing <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biennial_bearing> can be a problem, with heavy crops in one year being followed by poor yields the next. The avocado tree does not tolerate freezing temperatures, and can be grown only in subtropical or tropical climates. There are several cold-hardy varieties planted in the region of Gainesville Florida, which survive temperatures as low as 20 F with only minor leaf damage.[*citation needed <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed>*] The avocado is a climacteric<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climacteric_(botany)> fruit (the banana <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana> is another), which means it matures on the tree, but ripens off the tree. Avocados used in commerce are picked hard and green and kept in coolers at 3.3 to 5.6 °C (38 to 42 °F) until they reach their final destination. Avocados must be mature to ripen properly. Avocados that fall off the tree ripen on the ground. Generally, the fruit is picked once it reaches maturity; Mexican growers pick Hass-variety avocados when they have more than 23% dry matter, and other producing countries have similar standards. Once picked, avocados ripen in a few days at room temperature<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_temperature> (faster if stored with other fruits such as apples or bananas, because of the influence of ethylene <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene> gas). Some supermarkets <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarkets> sell pre-ripened avocados which have been treated with synthetic ethylene<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene> to hasten ripening.[15] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado#cite_note-14> In some cases avocados can be left on the tree for several months, which is an advantage to commercial growers who seek the greatest return for their crop; but if the fruit remains unpicked for too long it falls to the ground. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado [edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avocado&action=edit§ion=5> ] -- DEV BOREM KORUM Gabe Menezes.