Are you a fan of avocado and often have it as a dip, in salads, sandwiches, wraps, smoothies, or toast? Then get excited because a new variety might come into stores soon.
Avocado is a versatile fruit and is pretty much compatible with a variety of dishes and cuisines with its creamy, rich, texture and nutty taste. The commercial fruit is the Hass avocado, a very high-quality fruit but the only issue is that it has a very large tree. Introducing, the luna avocado!
About luna avocado
Luna avocado, a new variety of avocados is a patent pending avocado also known as BL516. It was developed by Mary Lu Arpaia and her colleague Eric Focht. After almost a half-century of experimenting, and breeding they introduced a new form of the fruit named Luna.
It grows very well in Southern California, and I think it is a great variety on its own. It has good fruit quality, good eating quality, and good post-harvest shelf life. So, it should be something that can slip into the California avocado growing scene relatively easy.
Mary Lu Arpaia, UC Cooperative Extension Horticulturist
The Luna variety has a small tree, which allows denser planting, efficient harvesting, and minimal pruning. The fruit also has good storage quality and hence can be stored and can ripen very well.
How are luna avocados different than traditional avocados
As the Hass variety has a large tree the Luna variety is known to have a slender upright smaller tree, it also grows fruit inside of the tree canopy which helps in preventing environmental post-harvest damage from wind and sunburn. The fruit also has a slight pear-shaped shape and is known for its smoother peal.
Both Hass and Luna avocados have subtle differences in their taste. The Luna variety has a sweet undertone and slightly nutty flavor to it. Compared to the Hass variety which has a prominent nutty flavor to it.
The Luna UCR variety will be marketed to growers globally through a partnership with Eurosemillas, SA.
News release
Next time if you want to use avocado in different recipes and dishes you have a new option and variety. Luna avocado is considered to be more tasty and rich in flavor is giving tough competition to the commercially available Hass avocado. You might get it into the market soon so stay tuned!
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