This document provides guidelines for operating an avocado farm using agroforestry and organic practices. It details various agricultural activities involved in establishing and maintaining an avocado plantation including land preparation, irrigation installation, planting, pruning, pest and disease prevention, pollination through beekeeping, and harvest and post-harvest procedures. Maintaining plant and soil health is emphasized through practices like mulching, cover cropping, and avoiding chemical inputs.

1. Avocado Farming &
Operational Procedures
subtropical conditions
July 23
Prepared by
Crop Monitor Consulting
Field Team
Sustainable Agriculture

2. CONTENT
ENABLING LAND............................................................................................................................. 3
IRIGATION PROJECT PROCESS................................................................................................ 5
PLANTATION AND REPLANTATION .......................................................................................... 6
SHOOT TRIMMING AND TIE-DOWN .......................................................................................... 7
TIE AND MAINTENANCE OF STAKES ....................................................................................... 7
MULCHING AND COVER CROPS ............................................................................................... 8
GRAFT AREA AND TRUNK PAINTING....................................................................................... 8
PLANTS FORMATION PRUNING................................................................................................. 9
GIRDLING ....................................................................................................................................... 10
POLLINATION AND BEEKEEPING............................................................................................ 11
PLANT HEALTH............................................................................................................................. 12
COLD AND FROST PREVENTION ............................................................................................ 13
HEALTH PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVOCADO TREES......................................................... 14
WINDBREAKS & LIVING FENCES............................................................................................. 19
COMPOSTING ............................................................................................................................... 20
PRUNNING ..................................................................................................................................... 21
IRRIGATION ................................................................................................................................... 22
QUALITY CERTIFICATIONS ....................................................................................................... 22
HARVEST........................................................................................................................................ 24
POST HARVEST............................................................................................................................ 27

3. An Agroforestry and organic production system has a different vision of agricultural
processes. The following lines describes the main agricultural activities focused on an
agroforestry system, but taking into account the most relevant and applicable aspects of a
standard organic agriculture system.
ENABLING LAND
The process of cleaning and clearing the land must be carefully planned, especially in a
farming operation. In general, exotic species with excessive vegetation are eliminated and
all native species are retained.
Depending on the density of vegetation, cleaning can be done manually with the help of
machetes, chainsaws or with the use of heavy machinery. According to the size of the
project in subtropical or tropical conditions, the careful use of heavy machinery is
suggested so as not to slow down the defined timings of the project's progress.
Arrange plant residues under native trees so that they decompose naturally. Big trunks are
a source of wood for energy or various constructions.
The topography of the land must define the available surface to be planted and demarcate
with stakes where the sectors to be planted are and where the internal roads will go,
considering the orientation requested and determinate in the irrigation project.
Normally the orientation in avocados in equatorial zones does not have much implication
since the sun hits the plantation in a perpendicular way. In these cases the orientation of
the plantations is determined by the topography of the land, always recommending
planting in the direction of the contour lines in order to facilitate the drainage of the rains.
The layout of the plantation rows is done with stakes arranged by a surveyor at the corners
of each sector, usually with a rope. Workers stand at the ends of what will be a row of
plantations. Mark each row of the planting (using the string as a guide) with lime or ground
chalk.

4. After the land is cleared the Soil Preparation phase is started:
1. Soil Ripping: The soil must be subsolated above all on the planting line. There are no
less "aggressive" ways to subsoil and less manually subsoil. In this way, the use of
machinery is almost the only alternative to ensure correct work. A sub solation with two
rippers separated by 50 cm each is recommended. Depending on the need and
required operation speed this can be done with a D6 bulldozer with 2 rippers, Excavator
with 2 rippers or a tractor/subsoiler with 1-2 rippers.
2. Ridges or berms forming: After ripping the ground and if the passage of a harrow is
not required to match the soil, we proceed to the formation of ridges or beds. These
should have an average width of 2.6m (1.3m to each side of the trunk) and a height of
app 50 cm. This process can be done in different ways, including manually depending
on the extension or the plantation rows. Usually an excavator is used to form the ridge
and then it´s flattened with the same excavator shovel and on other occasions the
blade of the same D6 bulldozer is used for ridge conforming and later the top is flatten
using a leveler.
It is discussed whether the formation of ridges is appropriate or not. In general,
avocados planted in ridges will always have better development, since mainly the
problems of waterlogging or flooding are avoided with days of excessive rain. Under
conditions of excessive rain and high slope of the land, the use of ridges is not very
advisable, due to the risks of erosion. In this case is recommendable to form light
ridges to avoid excessive erosion.

5. IRIGATION PROJECT PROCESS
This process is normally slow since it is decisive in the future of the project. It is possible to
speed up by putting more resources, but it must always be controlled and supervised.
The irrigation project must be 100% aligned to the topography and micro-relief of the land,
otherwise the result will be areas of more and areas of lower productivity due to poor
distribution of water and fertilizers.
Take care and clearly identify the low areas of the land where water will probably
accumulate or we will have high water levels.
According to the Agroforestry specification of the Subtropical or tropical conditions project,
it is estimated that the irrigation project should be a system that centralizes the operation
in a reservoir. From this place, pressurized water is pumped through buried matrix (PVC)
that can follow the contour of the central roads. Subsequently, sub-matrix pipes that will
supply the irrigation sectors should be laid. In this case and considering an operation with
less ecological impact, the use of surface-laid polyethylene pipe is recommended. The use
or not of a water pumping system to the different "sectors" will depend on the irrigation
design: The water should be distributed to each subsector (2-5 Ha zones) where there
would be a flow meter to control the use of water by each farmer or by a group of farmers.
It is recommended that water be delivered with a minimum pressure (1.5 to 1.8bar) in each
subsector.

6. PLANTATION AND REPLANTATION
Before planting (few days) place stakes at the end of each row and install guides for
sowing with the help of a string with chalk (the recommended planting frame 6x3 or 7x3).
The position of each plant should also be marked with ground chalk.
Drill a hole about 50 cm deep every 3.5 meters with a shovel; distribute the plant stakes in
places where the holes are made. Apply manually 50 gr. approximately of slow release
fertilizer (Basacote / Osmocote) inside the planting hole.
Spread the plants on the ridges or berms (with the help of a truck or a tractor with a cart).
The planting should be done in the following way: Cut the bag of the plant with a knife and
place the plant inside the planting hole, covering it with soil (it must be sufficiently
compacted, avoiding leaving air pockets). It is always recommended to cover the plant
with a plastic sleeve to give protection from possible rodents and wind.
After planting the sector, irrigation must be carried out on the same day.
Pollinator varieties plantation. The planting of the pollinator must be carried out in places
where Hass was not planted, app 8% of the plants and the distribution is not random, it
must be highly distributed so that the pollinator "covers" a homogeneous area. The
planting process is the same as Hass.
Normally in subtropical climate zones, the quality of hass flowering means that the use of
pollinators is not AS demanding as in colder climates. 8% is recommended, but there is
evidence where orchards without pollinators have systematically reached productions of
20-25Ton/Ha

7. SHOOT TRIMMING AND TIE-DOWN
This is an activity mainly to eliminate the suckers that are generated in the rootstock trunk.
Very occasionally the aerial part of the plant must be trimmed. The person while removing
suckers from the trunk must tie the central axis of the plant with plastic tape to the plant
stake.
Always make the cut with scissors from the base of the shoots that grow from the
rootstock (never pull the suckers by hand!!).
Continue tying and de-sprouting in the next assigned row (according to advance).
It is very important that after the trimming the trunk must be painted with antifungal paint to
prevent wood fungus.
Antifungal paste or paint is purchased ready-made or prepared in the field. There are
different options depending on whether the plantation is organic or not. In organic
orchards, a concentrated paste based on soluble copper is recommended. For
conventional plantations, a 50% benomyl and 50% mancozeb paste is recommended.
TIE AND MAINTENANCE OF STAKES
This is a routine activity that is part of the "General Field Maintenance" item. Cut a piece of
cotton string or raffia 30 - 40 cm, check if the plant stake is in good condition and firm. If
the plant stake is in bad condition, they precede to change it. After placing the plant stake,
they tie the seedlings. They tie at the top and bottom of the plant. This activity takes place
2-3 times a year and is very fast to execute.
Be very careful to check that the string does not strangle the stem of the plant or is too
tight.

8. MULCHING AND COVER CROPS
Under any place conditions, this activity will be one of the priorities for post-planting
progress. It is very important to keep in mind. The combination of cover crops used maybe
as cash crop and mulching the avocado plantation row is totally beneficial.
Cover crops have the potential to provide multiple benefits as they can prevent soil and
wind erosion, improve soil’s physical and biological properties, supply nutrients, suppress
weeds, improve the availability of soil water, and break pest cycles along with various
other benefits. On the other hand Soil Mulching using cover crops waste material prevents
excess water evaporation from the soil, regulating the water balance in the soil. Together
with this, it improves the surface structure of the soil.
There are an open list of cover crops used as cash crops and also mulching material:
legumes, corn, black oat, barley, cereal rye, crimson clover, japanese millet, sorghum, sun
hemp, white lupine, ecc.
The already harvested crop is removed, placing the organic mulch on the ridges or berms
in the rows of the plantations.
GRAFT AREA AND TRUNK PAINTING
This is an important activity in avocado orchards; it should be done 2-3 times per year for
at least the first two years after planting. The purpose of this activity is paint the grafting
area and wounds on the trunk with an "antifungal paint prepared in the field" in order to
prevent the entry of pathogenic wood fungi, which in equatorial areas develop very
aggressively with avocado trees, reducing its productive potential, useful life and even
killing the plant.
Anti Fungal Paint: mix some fungicide product with an organic; 3 Kg of copper sulfate or 2
Lt of bacillus subtilis with 5Lt water. The trunk is done with a brush or a cloth mop rolled up
on a stick. In adult plantations, the graft area painting is approx. 20 cm.

9. PLANTS FORMATION PRUNING
The main objective of this activity is to promote the lateral formation of the plant from 4
axes, emitting shoots towards the external part of the crown and with a well-formed
structure. The plant quickly occupies its allotted space on the planting row.
It basically consists of making a topping on the plant, it is a cut of approximately 20 cm that
is made below the bud growth ring (show and train how to identify this ring of buds) so that
it encourages the development of lateral branches, in order to have several main branches
instead of one.
This is a fast and labor-intensive activity since it is carried out every 6-8 months in the first
24 months after planting. As every cut made to the plant, must be healed with "fungal
paint" as explained in trimming and graft painting activities.
As the plant gains height, the cut becomes difficult due to perform; in this case the
TOPPING must be done with telescopic pruning shears. A branch that escapes upwards
with great vigor evidently takes strength from the lateral branches. Remember that the
cutting elements must always be disinfected with a 3% sodium hypochlorite solution.

10. GIRDLING
One of the main problems of avocado is the tendency to alternate bearing, especially in
equatorial conditions where plants tend to grow too vegetative. Under these conditions in
conventional agriculture the use of plant growth regulators (Paclobutrazol and
Uniconazole) are almost decisive tools in the prevention of alternate bearing and the
assurance of fruit set. In organic agriculture these chemicals are replaced by the Girdling
of branches or trunks, which seeks to slow down the vegetative development of the plant
and induce production.
Being a critical activity, it must be carried out in a very controlled and supervised way,
since if this activity is done poorly, the plant ages or it can be a source of fungal infections.
Plants to be and not to be girdled are identified first (with good vigor; they cannot be
diseased). According to the driving system, select shaft to ring.
The girdling is done in two periods and the objective is different:
Girdling on summer shoots: This is carried out when the fruit weighs app 100gr and
seeks to stop excessive summer budding and generate flower buds. Normally it coincides
with 30-50 days post-harvest.
Girdling to encourage fruit setting and size: This is done in flat flowering and seeks to
improve fruit set and also fruit size.
Girdling and Post Girdling healing paint. The painted colored branches would be pruned next season

11. POLLINATION AND BEEKEEPING
The use of hives in avocado production is a very important point since this fruit specie is
not capable of self-pollination (since its flowers never present the male and female phase
at the same time). The use of pollinating insects is critical and directly proportional to the
expected yields. The use of hives and bees is quite common, being used from 3-4 units
per Ha in subtropical areas up to 10 units/Ha in Mediterranean areas to obtain yields
greater than 15Ton/Ha.
In the same way, the management and maintenance of hives is a science associated with
veterinary medicine where there are many variables to take into consideration when
presenting a very active hive in the flowering season. It is also very important to have a
specialist adviser in beehives management and pollination visiting the fields periodically.
As the hives are constantly developing and increasing the population this is a big
opportunity for landowner farners to learn and develop another source of incomes coming
from the honey and propolis. The beekeeper must be constantly selecting and raising
prolific queens resistant to diseases and docile in management to include them in new
installed hives or for the renewal of queens in hives that need it.
This is very important when it comes to increasing hive units in an economically
acceptable way and keeping hives active and healthy.
Beekeeping Activities:
1. Allocate an area (apiary) appropriate for the breeding
of select queens with the appropriate amount of mother
hives, breeding nucleo and fertilizers.
2. New queen bees must be selected and transfer to
empty and new hives.
3. Check hives every 15 days, in hours when most of the
bees are in the field.
4. Check the existence of the queen in the hive.
5. Search for diseases in broods and bees.
6. Regularly disinfect the equipment.
7. Check and extract honey and pollen.
8. Provide safe food to keep the hives strong.
9. Verify lack of space and rises.
10. During AVO flowering provide food with a protein and
syrup that will allow the population of these hives to
increase and be in optimal conditions for pollinating.
11. Distribute hives of bees on the perimeter of the farm and
in the center of the main areas according to a map.
Approximately 4 to 5 hives per ha
12. The hives must be placed in the direction of the sun.

12. 13. Bees feed on the flowering and water is provided
(drinkers) in irrigation valves, to keep them in constant
action.
14. Test the hives for varroa at least twice a month in order
to detect the% of this mite present in the hives.
15. If there is a larger population, move worker bees to other
boxes. Otherwise the queen will leave the hive.
16. Recover hives found in the field specially swarms on avo
trees. The easiest way is to place an empty hive with
wax, in this way the queen of this swarm will colonize
this hive and the swarm will follow.
PLANT HEALTH
Markets pay for quality fruit; mainly means fruits of good size and external cosmetic,
without details of external damage by insects, fungi, sunburn, etc. The quality of avocado
is also observed by the quality of the pulp that the consumer sees at home thousands of
kilometers away.
In general, orchards under biological or organic agriculture avocado show few insects (due
to the ecological balance), however we must plan understanding that it is a plantation in
the equatorial zone, where in general the pests are more aggressive, excessive rains
severely affect the plants, roots and even fruits.
The phytosanitary plan contemplates an organized preventive management scheme
against the main pests, diseases that can affect the yield and quality of production in an
equatorial zone.
This is a general plan defined a priori without data on the reality of pests that affect and
may affect the crop in the medium term; so it is susceptible to being changed.
The important thing is to be forewarned and consider some or all of these options.
Swarm of bees following a younger queen

13. Referential Pesticides used for Organic Growing (2022)
Fungicides Cooper Organic alternative to control Black Spot, Spacheloma
Fungicides Bacilus Subtilis Organic alternative to control Lasiodiplodia spp, Black Spot
Fungicides Trichoderma sp Organic alternative to control Lasiodiplodia spp
Fungicides Sacharomyces C. extract Organic alternative to control Black Spot
Fungicides Reynoutria sach. Organic alternative to control Spacheloma
Fungicides Pruning Paint Trunck and graft protection
Fungicides Citrus Extract Trunck and graft protection
Insecticides Bacilus Thuringiensis Defoliator worms
Insecticides Spinosad Thrips control
Insecticides Capsicine Thrips control
Insecticides Azadirachtin Defoliator worms
Mites Potasic Soak Mites prevention
Mites Sulphur Mites prevention
Mites Mineral Oil Mites and Scales control
Mites Matrine Mites control
Mites Quillay Extract Mites control
Bait & Traps Toxic Bait Fruit Fly bait
Bait & Traps Molasse Fruit Fly bait
Bait & Traps Hidrolized Protein Fruit Fly bait
Bait & Traps Fruit Fly Pheromone Fruit Fly bait
COLD AND FROST PREVENTION
The avocado plant is very susceptible to cold and especially temperatures below zero °C.
The consequences are negative effects such as: growth inhibition/reduction, flower drop,
death or necrosis of the shoots and malfunction of the cell walls/membranes.
To prevent the negative effects anti-frost systems can be used. The objective of these
systems is to maintain plant tissues above a certain temperature, which is the so-called
critical temperature. Some examples of anti-freeze systems are: fans (they move the air),
meshes (they reduce heat loss due to reverse irradiation), heaters (they heat the air), cold
air suckers (they lift the cold air to 60 meters of height) and sprinkling. In the fight against
frost, micro-sprinkling is always the best alternative, both technically and economically.

14. HEALTH PROBLEMS AFFECTING AVOCADO TREES
Lasiodiplodia spp. the regressive disease in avocado is very recurrent in all the
productive areas. It is said to be “regressive” because it starts from the tips of the plants
and moves towards the center of the trunk finally covering the whole plant. There are
many factors that trigger this problem, with stress conditions in plants being the main
cause. This disease must be prevented in different ways, the use of fungicides being the
most appropriate.
Avocado scab is a fungus that spreads through the wind and especially attacks the
foliage and the surface of the fruit under conditions of high relative humidity and
temperatures above 23 ° C. As most of the diseases caused by fungi, it must be managed
preventively in an application program at times of greatest potential incidence

15. Anthracnose or black spot is one of the fungi that most attacks avocado fruits post-
harvest. This fungus originates from the garden, but shows its symptoms during the cold
storage process. The main disadvantage of managing Black spot is due to the fact that the
fruit does not show symptoms only until arrival at the destination, therefore if an orchard
presents climatic conditions for the development of this fungus, the management is totally
preventive. This is a "commercial" fungus as it can greatly affect the quality and
"reputation" of the fruit.
Thrips is an insect that is practically all over the world. It primarily attacks avocado flowers
(especially green-skinned avocado flowers). This early attack generates russet or cosmetic
marks that affect the visual of the fruit (not affecting its intrinsic quality). The drawback is
that intermediate attacks affect the marketing and especially the selling price of the fruit.
The avocado is attacked by defoliator worms normally under special conditions
associated with high rainfall, high relative humidity and high temperatures. These types of
pests are very aggressive and must be taken into account and monitored. When detected,

16. their control must be immediate, which can even be manual (eliminating the voracious
larvae that eat the leaves) or with organic insecticides to control worms.
Under normal conditions, beneficial insects naturally keep this pest under control.
Mites One of the key pests of avocado cultivation in many conditions and latitude are the
Mites; This pest is found in the upper part of the leaves, and has a preference on stressed
plants and dust-covered leaves. They are classified as phytophagous mites, because they
feed on plant material, mainly plant foliage. The main symptom of mite attack is at the level
of the leaves where they begin to take a "tan" or brown color, lose chlorophyll, the plant
stops and even defoliates.
There are several organic tools for the control of phytophagous mites, all work in stages of
initial attack of the pest. Monitoring is very important to prevent the attack from defoliating
the plants.
In general, beneficial insects play a very important role in controlling this pest and
maintaining low populations of it. In cases of severe attacks (very dusty areas) the
effectiveness of control of beneficial insects is greatly diminished, forcing a foliar sanitary
control.

17. The Scales are a very common pest in avocado, they produce economic damage since
they attack the whole plant including the fruits. The main problem is in destination markets,
where there is practically no tolerance to the presence of this pest. There are about five
species of scales that economically attack the avocado. It is important to take this type of
pest into consideration in frequent crop monitoring programs. In general, sanitary
applications are not made to prevent the appearance of this pest, rather the applications
are made when the first stages of this insect appear on the plant (trunk, branches, twigs
and leaves). The monitoring consists of visual observations of the trunk and twigs where
sticky traps with double contact adhesive are placed, where the insects are trapped. There
are organic tools to combat this pest.
Fruit Fly plague can limit agricultural exports, estimating annual losses of US $ 100 million
in fruit-growing countries. It is a well-known pest that feeds on many plant species such as
watermelon, melon, cucumber, tomato and lettuce, among others, the fruit fly attacks
avocado fruits in the ripening phase, even laying their eggs on the surface of the fruit.
Ethological control is recommended for the fruit fly, that is: Elimination traps, monitoring
traps, toxic baits dispersed in different areas of the field, sticky traps of hydrolyzed protein
and molasses. With these three simple systems the control is very effective and should not
be a major pest. Along with this, it is very important to eliminate any vegetable residue
from the field such as rotten fruit and vegetables.

18. Stenoma catenifer is currently the main quarantine pest facing avocados of Colombian
origin. This is a very aggressive beetle, where its larva pierces the green fruits generating
galleries inside them (similar to the attack of the apple worm). The adult of this beetle is
capable of flying at great heights and distances greater than 20km, attacking even the
roots of the avocado. Control is very difficult and is carried out with organic insecticides to
control larvae focused on protect the fruit, in addition to preventive control of adults with
light traps and molasses.
There is not much experience in this regard, it has worked with some type of pheromone
and it has also been detected that it is partially selective with some varieties of avocado
Avocado roots are extremely sensitive to Root Suffocation problems (excess water in the
pores of the soil). This problem is critical in clay and clay loam soils of Colombia and Chile.
An avocado plant can only support a maximum of 10 days with its roots suffocated. After
this, an internal process begins that combines different problems such as root rot
(Phtophtora spp), appearance of vascular wood fungi (Lasiodiplodia, Fusarium,
Collecothrichum, etc.) and defoliation.

19. Under high rainfall conditions, it is important to implement a suffocation prevention plan
that includes drains and the use of Phytophtora preventative fungicides.
It is important to point out that a correct design of the plantation (contour lines and micro-
relief) is a totally decisive element regarding the future of the plantation under conditions of
suffocation.
An Excessive Flowering is the first indicator of a bad productive year. It usually results in
defoliation and very small fruit with poor yields. Normally an excessive flowering is the
result of a high stress pre-flowering phase. Normally the factors that trigger this
phenomenon are:
- Excessive pre-flowering radiation
- Pre-flowering water deficit
- Very long harvest and close to flowering
- Very little "recovery" time of the post-harvest plant.
The use of seaweed has proven to be a very useful tool to improve production
expectations in the event of a season of this type.
WINDBREAKS & LIVING FENCES
In an Agroforestry system, the establishment of windbreaks seeks to protect crops,
animals in even the ground from the wind and dust (attractant of leaf mites), in addition to
being an element that can provide an economic benefit to the farmer. Some trees and
shrubs can produce fruits, nuts, fuel, fodder or materials for crafts that can be sold or
processed in order to diversify farm income.
According to the average size of each productive unit, it is recommended to establish living
fences that group several units in an average size of 10-20 Ha. It is not advisable to
establish living fences for each farmer, since this can even lead to being negative for
development of crops since it can excessively "confine" the production unit.

20. In the design and planting of these windbreak hedges under Subtropical or tropical
conditions, it would not be necessary to consider an irrigation system. If it would be
advisable to use some type of fertilizer in the plantation.
The use of native or exotic species is recommended those provide a real protection to the
crop and are potentially an economic source of some resource, being also hosts of
beneficial insects for the different crops. It should be noted that the use of these live
fences almost always brings as a negative element the appearance of some insects that
can potentially attack the avocado crop. Pest monitoring systems should consider
checking these areas frequently.
Some examples of mixed-purpose windbreaks (protective and economical):
• black walnut
• hickories
• paw paw
• persimmon
• Cornelian cherry dogwood
• hazelnut
• chestnut
• gingko
• hardy kiwi
• pecans
• nut pins (Pinyon, Korean)
• chokecherry
• American plum
• willows
• black locust
• sycamore
• hybrid poplars
• redbud
• bittersweet vine
• winterberry
COMPOSTING
Composting is the biological decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms under
controlled, aerobic conditions to relatively stable humus. For an Agroforestry Organic
Farming System, composting would be an important source of organic matter, nutrients
and soil improvement. The common materials or feedstocks that will be part of the
composted are livestock manures and bedding and various residual plant materials (straw,
culls, on-farm processing wastes, etc specially coming from canes.

21. The nutrient content of compost is quite different from the manure and other feedstock that
go into the mix. The phosphorous and most other nutrients coming from manure become
more concentrated. It´s estimated that less than 15% of the nitrogen in compost (applied to
the soil) is released in the first crop year compared to uncomposted dairy manure.
Therefore, compost can be an important part of avocado crop management in Subtropical
or tropical conditions, but the main nutrient input will always be from manure.
PRUNNING
The pruning of the avocado is together with the irrigation one of the most important
activities of the crop, because it is the activity that allows to give sustenance and projection
to the production of medium and long term.
The main problem of the avocado orchards of the world is the lack of pruning. This is
usually due to a small planning and little training of personnel, among other factors.
Normally pruning must be carried out every year from the second or third productive year
and has two objectives:
1. Remove old, diseased, dry or dead wood. This is called "Sanitary Pruning" and can be
developed at any time during the cultivation, ideally prior to the flowering phase. In the
same way as any cut that is made to the plant, sanitary pruning should be combined
with the use of a wound sealing fungal paint. Being old and probably diseased material,
all the vegetal remains of this pruning must be eliminated outside the field. Taking into
account the agroforestry exploitation scheme, this material can be used for boiler
combustion and / or energy generation for farmers' homes.
2. Production Pruning: this pruning is the most important, since it aims to maintain a
balance of young fruit wood and 2-3 year fruit wood. The idea is not to keep plants that

22. 3. have main branches of more than 4-5 years since this wood always produces fruit of
lower quality (size) and definitely less quantity.
Production pruning must be carried out immediately after harvest and basically consists of
removing only one of the main branches of the plant at knee height. In this way, if the plant
presents. four main branches after 4 years the tree will be completely renewed.
Specialist engineers must train farmers in this technique and should even indicate other
"additional cuts" in case plants with an unwanted development appear.
The objective is to maintain a plant with a "semi open crown" formation with a height of no
more than 6-7 meters.
All the plant remains of the pruning should be used as fuel or, if necessary, chopped to be
incorporated as protective mulch of the soil.
IRRIGATION
The climatic and soil parameters of any place, Any subtropical place have been evaluated
and a water balance has been calculated for the operation. There are serious precipitation
limitations especially in the most productive months of the year when the plant would be
with fruit. Due to the predominant soil type, rainfall is not effective enough as is thought:
High evaporation, little infiltration and medium soil moisture retention. The project definitely
needs an exogenous irrigation water source, in addition to rain. The previous table
indicates the average daily irrigation calculations for the different months, expressed in Lt /
plant / day.
Under these conditions, the use of soil moisture sensors will be decisive in the general and
macro planning of irrigation and efficient use of water.
QUALITY CERTIFICATIONS
The objective of quality management certifications is to ensure excellence in production
processes and high quality products.
The complete system must be sensitized and committed to
guarantee quality through strict safety control throughout the
cultivation, harvest and commercialization. The company must
decisively advance in a "Seal" of quality that involves entering a
competitive level with the fruit of all countries competing with any
subtropical place. The GLOBAL GAP for fruits and vegetables it is
the "base" certification without which no farmer can think of
exporting his fruit. It ensures the good agricultural practices of the

23. company in its processes, from soil management, phytosanitary
applications to packaging and storage.
In parallel with GLOBAL GAP, the company must advance from the
beginning in an organic production philosophy, which will be audited
and certified in the first commercial harvest. IMO is the main organic
certification house worldwide and its validated by most of the and it
is validated and approved by most of the players in the international
avocado business.
The GRASP protocol is an abbreviation for “GLOBALG.A.P. Risk
Assessment on Social Practices ”, and is a" voluntary "model that
complements the GLOBAL GAP standard, evaluating social
practices on the farm, addressing specific issues related to the
health, safety and well-being of farmers. workers.
The evaluation of the GRASP Module helps producers to
demonstrate their compliance with labor legislation, both national
and international. GRASP helps growers to establish a good social
management system on their farms. Offer buyers an additional
warranty. It also helps protect one of your most important resources
– company workforce.
Initially, GRASP protocol was born as "voluntary", but currently most of the large retailers
in Europe require as mandatory having passed the GRASP questionnaire during the
GLOBAL GAP audit and not having obtained significant negative observations.
SMETA (Ethical Trading Audit for Sedex Members) is a social
auditing methodology, which enables companies to evaluate
their sites and suppliers to understand the working conditions in
their supply chain. SMETA it is an audit procedure that brings
together good practices in an ethical audit technique. It is not a
code of conduct, a new methodology or a certification process.
The SMETA methodology uses the ETI code and local laws as
an evaluation tool.
Currently this certification is not 100% mandatory to enter the markets, since its principles
completely regulate the supply chain of fruit producers, being something often complex to
implement and control. That is why it is not generally required. But the large conventional
and organic avocado suppliers worldwide are SMETA certified, this being almost the
maximum pinnacle of a total quality assurance process.

24. HARVEST
The harvest is the most important milestone of the season, thus, planning it is key in
obtaining exceptional economic results and high quality fruit, in addition to determining the
vegetative and productive behavior of the orchard the following year.
Planning: One of the main aspects to consider when planning the harvest is the time
between the end of the harvest and the start of the next flowering. This time should be at
least 10-12 weeks. This is due to the fact that within 12 weeks the plant is able to recover,
grow and accumulate energy reserves for the next flowering. When the harvests are
extended a lot and the plant cannot recover (for example Peru, Spain, Chile, Israel) the
plant enters a process of alternate bearing, it means that an orchard that one year
produces 15 tons/Ha the following year can fall to 5Ton/Ha strongly impacting the farmer's
economy.
The alternating orchards are usually due to the fact that the farmer or entrepreneur only
takes into account a purely economic criterion for harvesting, seeking to harvest only
based on the market price.
According to the size of the project (planted area), it is always recommended to maintain a
mixed criterion, always keeping in mind that the plant must rest properly. In this relation if a
grower plan a harvest of 10-14 weeks a harvest plan must be properly scheduled.
i.e. a Harvest plan of 500Ha or avocados
Area 200
Estimated Average Yield (ton/Ha) 15
Estimated Crop (Ton) 3000
Harvest Weeks 10
Fruit Output per week (ton) 300
Fruit Output per day (Ton) 50
Containers per week (22 Mton per FCL) 2
Fruit harvested per day (kg/man) 600
People involved in harvest per day 83
Tractors per day moving bins (3 bins per tractor, 8hr working, 30min round to load fruit) 2
Bins Required (420 kg load) 120

25. Resources
The avocado harvest is done manually, using ladders and scissors, the fruit is placed in
harvest bags or plastic buckets and then they are emptied into clean plastic boxes or
420kg plastic bins.
When we have trees taller than 5 meters, it is advisable to define two harvest crews:
Height Harvest crew and Standard harvest crew. Usually each harvester of a Standard
harvest crew is given: Harvester scissors, one harvest bag and one plastic bucket. In the
other case, each harvester that makes up the harvesting crew at height is given: Ladders,
telescopic scissors, standard scissors, plastic buckets, harvest bag and ideally a safety
harness.
 Standard Harvest Crew: Usually a production ratio of 600-700 kg
harvested/day/person.
 Height Harvest Crew: Usually with lower production ratio per day (400 kg/day).
Harvest Operation
There are normally two types of avocado harvest:
1. Harvest to the Caliber or directed: is which is carried out in two passes, where in
the first pass the largest fruit or fruit greater than a predefined size is harvested. In
this harvest, 60-70% of the fruit is normally harvested.
This type of harvest is suitable when there are very attractive commercial
“windows” that support a longer total harvest.
2. Sweeping Harvest: this type of harvest is the most recommended for large
operations where the instruction is to harvest all the fruit from the plants and unload
the tree.

26. This type of harvest is the most recommended when the company has a very good
control of the packing and packaging process where the fruit is used to the
maximum.
Generalities
 The harvest must be neat and without affecting the fruit
 The use of on-site quality control teams is recommended to verify that the
guidelines are being met.
 The fruit must go with a small piece of peduncle of maximum 8MM.
 Don't hit the fruit
 Ideally lower the intensity of irrigation during harvest. Never harvests wet fruit.
 If the fruit has traces of bird feces, mud or sand, it can be cleaned with a cloth.
 Select gross defects in the field and avoid sending them to the packinghouse
(rotten fruit, severe sunburn, rat bite, attacks by other insects, misshapen fruit,
black fruit, etc.).
 The greater the selection in the field, the greater and the better results in packing.
QUALITY CONTROL AT FIELD PEDUNCLE CUTTING

27. Fruit Quality and Defects: Below a detailed photos of the main skin defects found in
avocado harvest. Those defects must be selected at the level of farm avoid sending these
to the packing house.
POST HARVEST
Reception of the fruit: After the fruit is harvested, it should be taken in a short time to the
packing establishment to its processing. No more than 12 hours should elapse between
harvesting and pre-cooling, but if this is not possible, the fruit must be prevented from
reaching internal temperatures above 26º C in the field and during transport to packing.
If fruit processing cannot be done immediately, it must be stored in a chamber at a
temperature between 10ºC and 15ºC, to slow down the processes of fruit ripening.
First Preselection: The fruit is turned onto a table where the first selection is made. Must
be withdrawn fruit that does not meet the quality standards defined above.
SEVERE RUSSET DUE THRIPS SEVERE SCALE INFESTATION TWO LEVELS OF SUNBURN
SUN BLOTCH VIRUS OVERMATURE SEVERE MITES ATTACK MALFORM FRUIT

28. Brushing: The avocado must go through a tandem of soft brushes that remove dust and
give shine to the fruit, which improves its appearance.
Calibrated and Packed:
In the processing room, the fruit is arranged on rollers so that the machine scale
Weigh the calibrator correctly and enter the drawer assigned by the machine.
Then, it is packed, which consists of placing it neatly and neatly in boxes of
Determined capacity and with the number of fruits corresponding to each size
Conservation:
Once the pallet is assembled, it is pre-cooled in a forced air tunnel to take the fruit to
a temperature between 7ºC and 8ºC with a relative humidity of 90% to 95%, as long as
necessary, depending on the temperature that the avocado had at the entrance of the
tunnel.
After rapid pre-cooling, the pallets are stored in the storage chamber. The storage
temperature of that camera should be from 4.5ºC to 5.5ºC.
Likewise, the loading room must be at a temperature of 10ºC to 12ºC. These values are
depending on the ripeness of the fruit. If the fruit is more mature, a lower storage
temperature.
For export, the controlled atmosphere container must comply with the following
parameters:
- Charging temperature: 6ºC
- Oxygen: 5%.
- CO2: 6%.
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