ABSTRACT
The avocado Persea americana Mill, (family Lauraceae) is a major fruit crop of the tropics and subtropics. World production is nearly 2,000,000 metric tons, and the avocado ranks 10th in total production among fruit crops after Musa spp. (banana and plantain), Citrus spp. (all types), grape, apple, mango, pear, plum, peach, and papaya (1). The major production areas are in the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of Australia, South Africa, Israel, and Indonesia. The most important producing countries are Mexico, the United States, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and Indonesia. In the United States, annual production of avocado ranks after that of Citrus spp. (all types), grape, apple, peach, and pear (2) with an annual value of ca. $210 million. There are two major production areas of avocados in the United States: Southern California and Miami-Dade County, Florida. Mexico, the United States, Israel, South Africa, and Australia are the leading avocado exporting countries. Although most avocados are consumed as fresh fruit, there is also a limited demand for fruit for processing.
