Cross-pollinisers for Hass avocado

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Results

Flowering timing

Flowering observations demonstrated differences in the timing of the varieties as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

  • Bacon, Fuerte and Shepard were early season flowerers.
  • Edranol, Ettinger, Hass, Sharwil and Zutano were mid-season flowerers.
  • Reed (another type A variety) was a late season flowerer.

Due to the protracted nature of avocado flowering in this region, all varieties had some degree of cross-over. Edranol, Ettinger, Sharwil and Zutano demonstrated a closer timing to Hass than Bacon, Fuerte and Shepard (Table 2).

It is important to note that trees of Edranol, Ettinger and Zutano were less than four-years-old which may have affected flowering. The timing of flowering of Hass was fairly similar at all monitored locations.

Table 2 Type B avocado varieties and flowering times recorded in the South-West of Western Australia in 2009, compared with Hass
Variety Flower timing in relation to Hass
Edranol (trees less than 4-years-old) Good
Zutano (trees less than 4-years-old) Good
Ettinger (trees less than 4-years-old) Slightly earlier
Sharwil Slightly earlier
Bacon Earlier
Fuerte Earlier
Shepard Earlier
line graph showing the progression on flowering of a range of avocado varieties: Hass, Bacon, Edranol, Ettinger, Fuerte, Sharwil and Shepard
Figure 1 Flowering of avocado varieties at Margaret River during 2009
line graph showing the progression on flowering of a range of avocado varieties: Hass, Zutano, Reed and Fuerte
Figure 2 Flowering of avocado varieties at Manjimup during 2009
line graph showing the progression on flowering of a range of avocado varieties: Hass and Ettinger
Figure 3 Flowering of Ettinger and Hass at Pemberton during 2009