Some Characteristics of
Florida Avocado Varieties
From the
Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service
Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Avocado varieties are classified in three groups, known as the West
Indian, Guatemalan and Mexican "races". West Indian avocados originated
in the tropical lowland areas of southern Mexico and Central America
whereas the Guatemalan and Mexican avocados originated in mid-altitude
highlands in Guatemala and Mexico. The distinguishing characteristics
of the three races is summarized in Table
1. In Florida, most early
season varieties are West Indian types, whereas midseason and late
varieties are mostly Guatemalan-West Indian hybrids or Guatemalan types
and therefore have intermediate characters between the two races. Some
characteristics of Florida avocado varieties are summarized in Table 2.
Table 2. Some
characteristics of Florida avocado varieties recommended for the home
landscape
| Variety |
Race1 |
Season of maturity2 |
Flower type |
Fruit wt. (oz) |
Fruit color |
Cold tol.3 |
Production |
Scab susc.4 |
Rec.5 |
| Donnie |
W |
May 21 -- June 31 |
A |
12--20 |
Green |
Low |
Moderate |
R |
Y |
| Dupuis |
W |
June 15 -- July 31 |
A |
12--24 |
Green |
Low |
Low |
R |
Y |
| Hardee |
W |
June 25 -- Sept. 1 |
B |
12--24 |
Red |
Low |
High |
R |
N |
| Pollock |
W |
June 25 -- Sept. 15 |
B |
18--40 |
Green |
Low |
Low |
R |
N |
| Simmonds |
W |
June 25 -- Sept. 15 |
A |
16--34 |
Green |
Low |
Moderate |
R |
Y |
| Nadir |
GW |
July 1 -- Aug. 15 |
A |
10--22 |
Green |
Low |
Moderate |
R |
Y |
| Russell |
W |
July 1 -- Aug. 31 |
A |
16--24 |
Green |
Low |
Moderate |
R |
Y |
| Brogdon |
CH |
July 15 -- Sept. 15 |
B |
8--12 |
Purple |
High |
Moderate |
MS |
Y |
| Miguel |
GW |
July 22 -- Sept. 15 |
B |
18--26 |
Green |
Low |
High |
R |
Y |
| Nesbitt |
GW |
July 22 -- Aug. 30 |
A |
14--26 |
Green |
Low |
Moderate |
R |
N |
| Tower-2 |
GW |
Aug. 1 -- Sept. 15 |
B |
12--20 |
Green |
Low |
Moderate |
R |
N |
| Beta |
GW |
Aug. 5 -- Sept. 15 |
B |
16--24 |
Green |
Moderate |
High |
R |
N |
| Loretta |
GW |
Aug. 25 -- Sept. 30 |
B |
20--36 |
Green |
Moderate |
High |
M |
Y |
| Waldin |
W |
Sept. 1 -- Nov. 1 |
A |
14--28 |
Green |
Low |
Moderate |
R |
N |
| Tonnage |
G |
Sept. 15 -- Oct. 15 |
B |
14--24 |
Green |
High |
Moderate |
MS |
N |
| Booth 8 |
GW |
Oct. 1 -- Dec. 15 |
B |
9--28 |
Green |
Moderate |
High |
MS |
Y |
| Lula6 |
GW |
Oct. 1 -- Feb. 15 |
A |
14--24 |
Green |
High |
High |
S |
M |
| Marcus |
GW |
Oct. 15 -- Nov. 30 |
B |
18--48 |
Green |
High |
Moderate |
R |
N |
| Booth 7 |
GW |
Oct. 15 -- Dec. 15 |
B |
10--20 |
Green |
Moderate |
High |
MS |
Y |
| Choquette |
GW |
Oct. 30 -- Jan. 15 |
A |
18--40 |
Green |
Moderately High |
Moderate |
R |
Y |
| Hall |
GW |
Nov. 15 -- Feb. 1 |
A |
12--18 |
Green |
High |
Low |
MS |
N |
| Monroe |
GW |
Dec. 1 -- Feb. 15 |
B |
24--40 |
Green |
Moderate |
High |
MS |
Y |
| Kampong |
G |
Dec. 1 -- March 31 |
B |
14--24 |
Green |
High |
Low |
R |
N |
| Meya |
G |
Dec. 7 -- Feb. 28 |
A |
10--16 |
Green |
High |
Low |
R |
N |
| Reed |
G |
Dec. 14 -- March 7 |
A |
8--18 |
Green |
Moderate |
High |
R |
Y |
| Brookslate |
GW |
Jan. 14 -- March 7 |
A |
10--22 |
Green |
High |
High |
R |
Y |
1
Race: W--West Indian; G--Guatemalan; M--Mexican; CH--Complex Hybrid.
2 Season of maturity may not
correspond with legal maturity.
3 Cold tolerance rating.
4 Scab susceptibility: R--resistant;
MS--moderately susceptible; S--susceptible.
5 Recommendation for home planting:
Y, yes; N, no, and M, maybe.
6 'Lula' is susceptible to scab
however in the home landscape this may not be a problem. |
Further Reading
The introduction and commercialization of West Indian avocados to Fairchild Tropical Botanic
Garden living collection, south Florida, Florida State Horticultural Society pdf
The 'Kampong' avocado, Florida State Horticultural Society pdf
The introduction of West Indian avocados to south Florida, Florida State Horticultural Society pdf
Back to
Avocado
Page
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Bibliography
Crane,
Jonathan H., et al. "Avocados Growing in
the Home Landscape." Horticultural
Sciences Department, University of Florida, IFAS
Extension, CIR1034,
First published as FC-3: Mar.
1983, Revised Jan. 1998, Aug. 2001, May 2003,
Sept. 2005, Aug. 2007 and Sept. 2016, Reviewed Dec. 2019, EDIS,
edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg213.
Accessed 13 June 2018, 30 Apr. 2020.
Published 11 Oct. 2013 LR. Last update 21 May 2020 LR
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