Researchers at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) reported that experimental avocado breeding lines survived temperatures as low as 17 degrees Fahrenheit (−8.3°C) during the January 2026 freeze in Florida. These temperatures are lower than those tolerated by standard commercial avocado varieties.
José Chaparro, associate professor of horticultural sciences at UF/IFAS, is leading the breeding program focused on developing avocados that can grow in North Central Florida.
"Standard commercial types like the globally popular Hass avocado cannot tolerate deep cold, as South Florida's West Indian avocados begin to suffer damage around 31 degrees and California's Guatemalan-Mexican hybrids struggle below 26 degrees," Chaparro said.
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According to Chaparro, the breeding lines have shown survival at temperatures between 17 and 18 degrees Fahrenheit. The January 2026 freeze provided an opportunity to evaluate the performance of these varieties under natural winter conditions.
"This year was excellent for separating and categorizing different levels of cold resistance," Chaparro said. "You could clearly see which trees were damaged and which ones stayed green."
The UF/IFAS avocado breeding program began in 2005 with the goal of developing avocado varieties capable of surviving colder winters while meeting commercial fruit quality standards. Researchers test seedlings outdoors and expose them to natural winter events to evaluate cold tolerance.
Over time, breeding selections have also produced fruit with larger size, higher oil content, and resistance to anthracnose, a fruit-rotting fungus. Researchers are continuing work to improve peel thickness and reduce cracking caused by rainfall.
"We've made significant progress," Chaparro said. "But we're still working on developing a peel that won't crack and that meets the expectations of today's avocado consumer market."
Current breeding lines are closer to Mexican-type avocados, but the program aims to develop fruit with characteristics similar to Hass, including higher oil content and a peel that darkens when ripe.
"Consumers today want an avocado that turns black when it's ripe," Chaparro said. "They also prefer high oil content because it makes a thicker, creamier guacamole."
Test plots have been established with growers across Florida to evaluate different selections. Researchers are working to identify parent trees with strong cold tolerance and cross them with selections that have improved fruit quality.
"We're trying to identify the avocados that give us the strongest cold resistance," Chaparro said. "Then we will cross those with avocados that have thicker skin and better fruit quality."
Chaparro said that improved cold tolerance could allow avocado production to expand further north in Florida.
"The missing piece of the puzzle has always been cold resistance," Chaparro said. "If we can provide that, we open the door for avocado production much farther north."
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