Chloride Injury to Hass avocado trees: A sandculture experiment. Calif. Avocado Soc. Yearbook

Successful management of avocado orchards in California is complex, demanding thoughtful attention to a host of important operations including that of irrigation and salinity management. A thorough knowledge of tree response to soil moisture and salinity is essential for the development of a realistic management practice because of the avocado tree's extraordinary sensitivity to salinity. The present paper illustrates the hazards caused by excessive chloride; specifically the report contains information on the significance of maintained chloride levels within the root zone, leaf contents and tree response including a limited amount of observations on fruit production. The discussion represents a progress report of a long-term outdoor experiment with Hass avocado trees. Experimental Procedure Hass variety avocado trees (one year from graft and on Mexican stock) were transplanted from a commercial nursery in San Diego County to the sandcultures at University of California, Riverside. Each unit (figures 1 and 2) consisted of a large concrete tank, 36 " diameter and 40 " length, filled with sand to support the transplante