Peru: Rootstock use increases avocado quality and productivity

Peru's competitiveness grows every day as their agricultural products become more and more widely accepted worldwide. This is why new ways must constantly be found to improve quality and productivity of fruits and vegetables if the national production is to position itself as a leader in the sector.

Agricultural engineer Daniella Canessa points out that one of the keys to efficient growing is the use of avocado rootstock, as that underpins the size and vigour of the trees, their precocity and productivity, their resistance to disease and pests, as well as other conditions, such as soil, climate and the size and quality of the fruit.

In this regard, she mentioned that for a good rootstock selection certain factors must be considered, such as: ease of propagation in the nursery gardens, resistance to disease and pests, compatibility with other varieties of the species and ease of adaptation to the different soils and climates.

Furthermore, the plant's productive life must be a long one, it must be resistant to root suffocation, and the choices made will influence crops in aspects such as tree development, the speed of fruiting and the colour, quality and size of the fruit.

Additionally, Daniella Canessa mentioned that the steps for avocado propagation by means of seeds and grafting are: obtaining seeds (whether by harvest or purchase), pulp preconditioning, planting, rootstock growing, grafting and graft growth.

Source: Agraria.pe