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Essay on Avocado
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Origin and History of Avocado
- Essay on the Area and Production of Avocado
- Essay on the Importance and Uses of Avocado
- Essay on the Choice of Varieties of Avocado
- Essay on the Insect-Pests of Avocado
- Essay on the Diseases of Avocado
Essay # 1. Origin and History of Avocado:
The avocado is native to Mexico in Central America. The early Spanish explorers recorded its cultivation from Mexico to Peru. It was introduced to Southern Spain in 1601 and into Jamaica in about 1650. In Florida it was first recorded in 1833 and in California in 1856.
It has also been found to grow wild all over South America and West Indies and has lately spread to many other tropical countries like Hawaii, Philippine Islands, Cuba, Sri Lanka and India.
It is not exactly known when avocado was first introduced into India but it seems it may have been introduced in the south and west coasts of India about 75 to 100 years ago from Sri Lanka. In Western India, avocado was for the first time imported from Sri Lanka in the year 1941 and planted at the Ganeshkhind Fruit Experiment Station, Poona.
The avocado (Persea americana Mill) is the highly nutritive fruit. It is an evergreen subtropical fruit. It is also called as Butter fruit. Avocado fruit is a single seeded berry.
Essay # 2. Area and Production of Avocado:
Avocado is cultivated commercially in Mexico, Chile, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, USA, Colombia, Peru, Kenya, Brazil, Rawanda and China. The annual production of Avocado’s in the world is 45 lakh metric tonnes growing on 6 lakh hectares area. Avocado is most important fruit of Mexico producing 28 percent of the total world production.
In India, avocado is grown in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Sikkim. Production of this fruit is estimated 500 – 1000 mt annually for domestic market. Presently area under avocado growing in India is limited. But, there is great scope for its cultivation in the country on account of providing nutritional security to the people. Sizeable acreage can be brought under this fruit crop in the near future.
Essay # 3. Importance and Uses of Avocado:
Avocado has twice as much energy value as in bananas. It is a rich source of fat, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, chloride and ascorbic acid. It contains 245 calories, 26.4% fat, 368 mg potassium, 10 mg calcium, 38 mg phosphorus, 35 mg magnesium, 11 mg chlorine and 16 mg ascorbic acid per 100 g of edible portion. The protein content forms 1-4 per cent. Avocado also has fair amount of vitamin A and B.
The pulp of avocado has a buttery consistency and blend in taste with a nutty flavour. It has a pleasant aroma of the interior shell of a tender coconut. A person normally gets used to the taste and starts relishing it after tasting once or twice. Its pulp is used as a sandwich filling or spread, in ice-cream and milk shake.
The fruit is considered better for diabetic patient due to low sugar content. Its fat is harmless. The oil from avocado is widely used for the preparation of cosmetics. The purple variety contains as much as 17 per cent of oil. The avocado for all purposes is a salad fruit and should be eaten fresh.
Essay # 4. Choice of Varieties of Avocado:
The following are the important cultivars of avocado:
i. Purple:
It was introduced into India from Sri Lanka. This cultivar belongs to West Indian race. The fruit is pear-shaped. Its size is 12 – 15 cm x 6 – 9 cm with a long neck and about 250 g in weight. The skin is smooth, shinning, deep crimson or maroon in colour and leathery in texture. It can easily be removed from pulp. The seed is set loose in the cavity. Flesh is thick, firm, smooth and fine in texture, deep yellow and with a rich nutty flavour.
ii. Green:
It was also introduced into India from Sri Lanka. It belongs to the Guatemalan race. The fruit is large and oval in shape. The surface is slightly rough and yellowish green in colour. Skin is thin. Seed is large, roundish and sits tight in the cavity. The neck is solid. The flesh is thick, greenish yellow, changing to green and has a mild nutty flavour.
iii. Fuerte:
This is the most popular cultivar of avocado. It belongs to group B and is a hybrid between Mexican and Guatemalan races grown in California. Fruits are pyriform in shape. Average weight of fruit ranges between 225-450 g with 18-26 per cent oil content. Fairly resistant to cold. The cultivar is better suited to subtropical climate.
iv. Hass:
It is also grown in California and matures much earlier than Fuerte. It belongs to Group A cultivar. Fruits are medium sized, roundish and turn purple on ripening. The cultivar is suitable to subtropical climate.
v. Yulia:
The cultivar was selected from California. It has excellent flavour. The average weight is 200 g. The yield is good but tree bears alternately. Lula, Pollock, Ardith, Ace, Pino, Green Gold and Pinkerton are other important varieties of Avocado.
Essay # 5. Insect-Pests of Avocado:
Mealy Bug (Planococcus Pacificus):
The pest causes damage to the avocado during flower and fruiting. It can be controlled by spraying the plants with 0.05 per cent dichlorvos.
Essay # 6. Diseases of Avocado:
1. Fruit Spot:
It is caused by fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. It results in shedding of young fruits. The remaining fruits on the tree do not attain normal size and become deformed. In some fruits, the infection may be latent.
The controlled atmospheric storage of fruits in 2 per cent oxygen and 10 per cent carbon dioxide at 7.2°C for 3-4 weeks prevent development of this fungus.
2. Root Rot:
The disease is caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi. It is a serious disease of avocado and may kill the tree. Root rot is accentuated by poorly drained soils. Ridomil mixed with the soil before planting @ 1 g a.i. per 10 kg soil or applied as a drench to the soil surface around established plants (1 g a.i. per 10 litres) controls root rot at least 4 months after treatment.
3. Cercospora Spot (Cercospora Purpurea) and Scab (Sphaceloma Perseae):
They cause lesions on leaves as well as the fruits. Scab is a wide spread fungal disease cause severe losses from fruit drop and reduces fruit quality by marking fruit. The disease free plants should be planted. Regularly watch the presence of pests and unusual symptom.
Spray copper fungicide to central this disease. Corcospora spot infects the leaves and fruits during the period of rainy season. It can be controlled by spraying systematic fungicide (captan or manozeb 0.2%) during the growing season.