Avocado farming, a key agricultural sector across the globe, is witnessing a wave of innovation that could revolutionize how this popular fruit is grown. Over the last four years, 20 of the world’s leading avocado companies have joined forces through the “Green Motion” platform. Spearheaded by Eurosemillas in 2020, this initiative is now the largest avocado research project globally, involving key players from 12 different countries, including the U.S., Mexico, Peru, Chile, Spain, and Israel, among others.
Green Motion’s Global Impact
The Green Motion platform was created with a focus on innovation and the search for alternatives to the popular Hass variety, which dominates the global avocado market. The project aims to introduce new, resilient, and highly productive avocado varieties, particularly in light of environmental challenges such as water scarcity and soil salinity.
The project has made significant progress in over 12 countries, where advanced selections are being tested. These selections have gone through quarantine periods, initiated propagation processes, and laid the groundwork for the first test fields. As a result, some of the most promising selections are expected to be evaluated outside of California as early as next year, according to Juan Antonio Davias, head of the Green Motion project.
Luna UCR: A Game-Changing Avocado Variety
One of the standout results of the Green Motion initiative is the Luna UCR variety. Luna UCR, a type B flowering tree, produces Hass-like fruit but with numerous advantages over the traditional Hass variety. This variety features a smaller crown volume, significantly reducing space requirements while offering superior production efficiency and post-harvest qualities.
On the European and Californian markets, Luna UCR has already garnered significant attention. The tree itself occupies 50% less canopy volume compared to the Hass tree, but it is nearly seven times more efficient in fruit production. Specifically, Luna UCR trees produce an impressive 1.6 kg of avocados per cubic meter of crown volume, compared to just 0.23 kg/m³ for Hass. This productivity boost allows farmers to increase the number of trees per hectare by 50%, enhancing overall yield without increasing water consumption—an essential factor in regions facing water limitations.
Salt-Tolerant Varieties and the Future of Avocado Farming
Beyond Luna UCR, the Green Motion platform is also working on two new rootstocks with remarkable tolerance to saline soils, which are expected to reach the market soon. Salt tolerance is a critical trait, as avocado production increasingly faces the pressures of climate change, deteriorating soil quality, and water scarcity.
These new rootstocks will be particularly beneficial for regions where soil salinity poses a major barrier to agricultural productivity. By improving the resilience of avocado trees, Green Motion’s innovations will enable farmers to maintain, and even increase, yields in challenging environmental conditions.
The advances made by the Green Motion platform mark a significant turning point for the global avocado industry. With the introduction of more efficient, productive, and resilient varieties like Luna UCR, avocado growers can expect higher yields, improved resource efficiency, and better adaptability to changing environmental conditions. As new, salt-tolerant rootstocks become available, the future of avocado farming will be increasingly sustainable, ensuring that this valuable crop can continue to thrive even in the face of climate and resource challenges.
For farmers, agronomists, and agricultural engineers, these innovations offer exciting possibilities for optimizing avocado production and ensuring long-term viability. As the global demand for avocados continues to grow, the work being done by projects like Green Motion will be instrumental in shaping the future of this thriving industry.
