CHARACTER SEGREGATIONS IN AVOCADO RACIAL-HYBRID PROGENIES

Two unusual characteristics of the West Indian race are desirable in California avocados: early fall maturity and tolerance of soil salinity. Since that race is too tropical in adaptation for satisfactory performance in California, its hybridization with local varieties of the hardy Mexican race was initiated by grafting scions of Arturo, Clifton, and Jalna into a tree of the West Indian race in the Hawaiian Islands. Of 45 resulting progenies planted at Riverside, 28 have fruited. A detailed analysis under 4 foliar and fruit characters is presented. The presence of West Indian characteristics, particularly type of pedicel and of skin, indicated that at least some of the progenies were derived from West Indian pollen; hence the hybridizing procedure was successful. The presence of Guatemalan race characteristics indicated that these three so-called Mexican race varieties are in fact of Mexican-Guatemalan hybrid origin. There was no indication of Inter-racial sterility.