Testing and breeding avocados for the PNW

[drymifolia]

I've mentioned this in other threads but decided to finally actually start one specifically about the project I'm organizing to breed avocados for our bioregion. I've also posted about it on some other forums, so it's possible some of you have seen those threads already.

The gist of the project is I've been collecting scionwood and seeds of allegedly cold-hardy avocados for a few years now, and each spring I distribute trees to project members in this area. In return, members agree to post updates on the project website for their trees, and to let me collect cuttings from any that seem hardy enough to at least survive even our worst freezes. So far nothing tested seems to fit the bill, but I also haven't tested all the collected varieties outdoors yet.

I've got a 320 sq ft greenhouse with five multi-graft trees planted in the ground inside, the oldest of those being about 3 years since first grafting, but many varieties were grafted more recently. I also have started hundreds of seeds over the last few years, planting over a hundred trees in my own yard, most of which are no longer with us. The seeds have mostly been donated by a grower in Gainesville, FL, but some were also purchased from various sources, including some members on here.

I did not get any fruit to set last year, but the trees are about twice as large now (9+ ft tall, 6+ ft wide), with at least 10x more flower buds in total, so I'm hoping for first fruit in the project this coming fall or winter. I've been out hand pollinating 2-3x daily for the last week or so, but things are just getting started in there. From today, this is Walter Hole:



At the moment the project has nearly 100 members who have confirmed their email address and given a ZIP code, 34 of whom have already picked up a combined 93 trees in the first two distributions.

Next year I'll have over 150 trees to distribute, but that still may not be as many as the members are willing to plant. A few members have significant acreage and seem willing to plant many dozens of trees apiece.

I'm happy to answer any questions. The project is currently limited to "anyone in USDA growing zone 8b or higher in the lowlands around the Salish Sea or along the oceanside coast of the Olympic Peninsula," but there's some wiggle room. If you want to join, start that process here.

Here's the list of all the varieties that have contributed either seeds or scions to the project, and you can click on each one to see a profile that includes photos and lists of trees associated with the variety in the collection (seedlings of it, trees grafted with it, or own-root clones of it).

Sorry for the long post! To finish, here is a photo of almost half of the new babies, aka next year's distribution:

[Mike T]

Great stuff and it is good to see such experimentation with avos. If Florida and Hawaii are the ferrari's of avocadoes Australia is a rickety skateboard with only a handful of cold loving Guatemalans on offer.

[drymifolia]

Great stuff and it is good to see such experimentation with avos. If Florida and Hawaii are the ferrari's of avocadoes Australia is a rickety skateboard with only a handful of cold loving Guatemalans on offer.

Nevertheless, the Western Australia ag ministry has published some really great information on growing avocados in "cool" climates. While they do focus on Hass, many of the findings are more generally applicable, and they are the only source I've found that compared bloom times for many of the cultivars they tested as Hass pollenizers. Here's an example:

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/spring/challenges-growing-hass-avocado-cool-regions?nopaging=1

And this:
https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/spring/growing-avocados-flowering-pollination-and-fruit-set?nopaging=1

And here's the one comparing bloom timing of various cultivars:
https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/spring/cross-pollinisers-hass-avocado?nopaging=1

[ScottR]

Nice work indeed will be interesting what comes into being after all your hard work!

[Mike T]

Drym that info has been around for a while and in the context of contemporary avo diversity and quality has a real 'so what' Californian 1955 vibe about it. We have come so far with development of passionfruit, lychees, atemoyas and even in WA with apples like bravo and pink lady. Avocado development has certainly languished.

[drymifolia]

Drym that info has been around for a while and in the context of contemporary avo diversity and quality has a real 'so what' Californian 1955 vibe about it. We have come so far with development of passionfruit, lychees, atemoyas and even in WA with apples like bravo and pink lady. Avocado development has certainly languished.

Yeah, it's a shame that everyone has decided that Hass is the only commercial variety worth growing, and that most of the major breeding efforts are just for essentially "improved Hass" rather than breeding for cold hardiness or short maturation period, which would allow the crop to be grown in many areas where Hass won't work. But I get why they are only breeding for the traits that existing growers want, instead.