Category: Carbon footprint
Identifying Optimal Zones for Avocado (Persea americana Mill) Cultivation in Iberian Peninsula: A Climate Suitability Analysis
In recent decades, the cultivation of avocados (Persea americana Mill) has expanded throughout the Iberian Peninsula, with most of the production occurring on the Southern Atlantic and Mediterranean Coast, as well as in the Canary Islands. This expansion is due to high demand and high prices, which have made the crop very attractive. However, climatic suitability criteria have not always been followed, putting sustainability at risk. Avocados originate from tropical and subtropical areas and have
Critical overview of the expansion of Hass avocado plantations in Salamina, northern Caldas, Colombia
This paper sheds light on the broader impacts of high-value commodity crops in the tropics by examining critically the rapid expansion of Hass avocado plantations (HAP). Using Salamina as a case study, this paper provides empirical evidence of local impacts and highlights the need for more sustainable and equitable governance strategies to manage emerging socio-economic and environmental challenges. HAP are transforming Salamina's traditional landscape by seizing considerable areas for avocado cultivation
Selective Retention of Cross-Fertilised Fruitlets during Premature Fruit Drop of Hass Avocado
The productivity of many tree crops is limited by low yield, partly due to high rates of fruitlet abscission during early fruit development. Early studies suggested that cross-pollinated fruitlets may be selectively retained during fruit development, although paternity testing of fruitlets to test this hypothesis was technically challenging. We used MassARRAY genotyping to determine the effects of pollen parentage on fruitlet retention and fruit quality of Hass avocado. We identified the paternity
Outcrossing Rate and Fruit Yield of Hass Avocado Trees Decline at Increasing Distance from a Polliniser Cultivar
Optimal fruit production from many tree crops relies on the transfer of cross-pollen between trees of different cultivars rather than the transfer of self-pollen between trees of the same cultivar. However, many orchards are established with wide blocks of single cultivars, which can result in high percentages of self-fertilised fruit and sub-optimal yield and quality. We aimed to determine whether outcrossing rates and yield of Hass avocado fruit decline with increasing distance from polliniser
Towards use of life cycle–based indicators to support continuous improvement in the environmental performance of avocado orchards in New Zealand
PURPOSE: A life cycle assessment (LCA) study was undertaken for the orchard stage of the NZ avocado value chain, to guide the development of indicators for facilitating continuous improvement in its environmental profile. METHODS: The functional unit (FU) was 1 kg Hass avocados produced in NZ, up to the orchard gate. The baseline model assessed avocados produced in fully productive orchards, using input data collected from 49 orchards across 281 ha in the three main avocado growing regions of
Life Cycle Assessment of an Avocado: Grown in South Africa-Enjoyed in Europe
"Food production is known to have significant environmental impacts, with the main contributors residing in the farming and transportation life cycle phases. Of the various food products transported around the world, avocados have increasingly gained attention as a high-commodity superfood. Avocados require specific climatic and agricultural conditions for farming, with the most fertile land and conditions located outside Europe. Consequently, most avocados consumed in Europe are imported over vast