Study findings from Southern California avocado orchards help growers save water and money.
From California Agriculture:
Perched precariously on the steep hillside of an avocado orchard in San Diego County, Ali Montazar began to form a theory as to why there are so few studies of irrigation for avocados.
“Perhaps no one likes to do research on a nearly 45% slope and erect 30-foot-high towers to collect data from sensors above the canopy!” said Montazar, University of California Cooperative Extension irrigation and water management advisor for Riverside, San Diego and Imperial counties. “But if you’re on flat land looking at almonds or pistachios, everyone is happy to do such research there.”
Despite the ruggedness of the terrain (avocados are often planted on hillsides in California production systems), Montazar persisted in advancing his groundbreaking research to optimize irrigation for Hass avocado trees. California is the #1 state in the United States in avocado production, with the crop valued at more than $523 million, according to recent statistics.
