ABSTRACT
The popularity of the fruit has made it highly profitable around the world. While Hass has consistently remained the consistent leader, it is vulnerable to pests and to climate change. As a result, plant breeders have been working to identify the next variety of avocados that might be able to challenge and replace the market share that the Hass occupies. This has thus far been done through traditional breeding methods, but these approaches have had little success thus far. As a result, new technologies and innovations are increasingly being employed to create the next avocado variety. These include mapping the genome to aid in marker-assisted breeding, which might ultimately lead to the creation of a genetic modification (GM) avocado. However, the idea of GM avocados causes concern for many activists who oppose the use of GM technology in the food system.
