The avocado revolution in Mexico: UCR's Luna variety promises to transform the industry
The new Luna UCR avocado variety promises to transform the Mexican avocado industry, with characteristics that make it an innovative and highly profitable product.
A new era begins for avocado producers in Mexico with the arrival of the Luna UCR variety, considered by TIME magazine in the United States as the best agronomic invention of 2023. This new variety, patented by the Spanish company Eurosemillas and the University of California Riverside (UCR), has sparked great interest in the country.
The company Jaliscavo has become the first to obtain authorization to reproduce and market the Luna UCR genetics in Mexico. This historic alliance promises to revolutionize the avocado industry in Jalisco and throughout the country, as the Luna UCR variety produces fruit similar to Hass but with exceptional post-harvest life and higher productivity per hectare.
José Antonio Aguilera, a partner at Jaliscavo, explained that the Luna UCR variety grows more vertically and has a less pronounced canopy, making fruit harvesting easier. Furthermore, because it is a type B flower, it pollinates the Hass variety, which is a type A flower, thus increasing productivity. Rogelio Moreno, a producer associated with Jaliscavo, noted that the Luna UCR variety is harvested 3-4 weeks later than the Hass, allowing for production with good dry matter content during the months of March through May, when demand and prices are highest in international markets.
The genetic development program will also bring other innovative avocado varieties to Mexico, such as the Gourmet variety, which produces seedless, ready-to-eat avocados. Luna UCR plants will be available for delivery to interested growers in the spring/summer of next year, at a more economical price than clonal plants. The official presentation of the variety will take place at the 8th Jalisco Avocado Congress, organized by APEAJAL in Ciudad Guzmán, from August 28 to 30, 2024.
Source: portalfruticola.com
