MONITORING RATES OF DRY MATTER ACCUMLATION

Dry matter content is the measure of fruit maturity utilized by the New Zealand Avocado industry. The pattern of development of fruit dry matter content in ‘Hass ’ avocados has been monitored on a regional basis for the past two seasons. Rates of dry matter accumulation tend to be relatively constant within a season for a given region. However, there can be pronounced regional and seasonal differences, both in terms of initial dry matter contents and subsequent rates of accumulation. Regional differences are not consistent on a seasonal basis