The Horticultural Races of Avocado

Avocados are very valuable commercial fruits which are cultivated in various regions in the world. From its ancestral strain, the avocado plan has three primary strains. This strains or horticultural race are the Mexican strain, Guatemalan strain and the Caribbean strain. Each of these races can be categorized based on various factors such as the area in which they thrive, the oil content in the flesh, its ability to survive cold weather, size of the fruit and the length of time which it takes before the fruit becomes ripe.

One area where the various strains can be differentiated is through the location where it strives. The Mexican strain is a native in Mexico. However it can also be found in the highlands of Andes and Chile. The Guatemalan strain is usually found in the highlands of Central America, Mexico and Ecuador. Meanwhile, the Caribbean strain is native to the lowlands of Central America and South America. This strain is also known as West Indian strain.

The oil content in the flesh of the avocado fruit affects its ability to survive cold weather. The oil content in the Mexican strain is the highest of the three strains. This makes it thrive in cold temperatures. The Caribbean strain on the other hand has the lowest oil composition percentage of the three. That is why this variation of avocado is very sensitive to cold temperature. It mainly thrives in tropical areas.

The size of the fruit varies between each of the horticultural race. Both of the Guatemalan strain and the Caribbean strain yields large fruits. On the other hand, the Mexican strain produces small fruits.

Another area wherein the different races vary is in the length of time which its fruits take before becoming ripe. Because of its size the Guatemalan strain takes anywhere between nine to fourteen months before a fruit reaches maturity. Even though the Caribbean strain is large, sometimes reaching 2 pounds in weight, it matures very fast. It only takes six to eight months.