New cultivar importation and evaluation
No new cultivars have been imported in the past year but it is anticipated that up to four high performing avocado cultivars could be imported in the next year.
Fruit from Lamb Hass and GEM from the industry geneblocks will continue to be evaluated for maturity and postharvest performance.
A Phytophthora infested site near Kaiwaka has been planted in clonal rootstocks to evaluate the performance of Phytophthora tolerant rootstocks, and the fruiting cultivars Maluma Hass and Carmen Hass under New Zealand conditions.
