Planning and managing new avocado orchards

Square planting of avocado orchards was normally practiced until very recently. With the vigorous growth habit of certain cultivars, high potential soils and favorable climatic conditions, these orchards reached an overcrowded stage before economic crops could be harvested from the trees. This condition does not comply with the economic realities of the day. It is therefore suggested that a different approach should be applied to new orchards. Rectangular configurations with a proper tree training system to develop a hedgerow system has given better results in terms of tree size control and more efficient light penetration into the orchard. A north-south direction of the rows is very important. It was also shown in the research conducted by the ARC-ITSC over the past five years that avocado trees could be trained into a central leader. These trees give rise to higher initial yields, while tree size and light interception and penetration by and into the tree could easily be maintained. In this paper the basic principles and practices regarding the planning and managing of new orchards are discussed. Additional practices such as cincturing, use of bio-regulators and nitrogen management are also briefly discussed as manipulation tools to control vigour and induce yield. The most important and effective manipulation tool is yield.