Notes from Honduras

POPENOE: HONDURAS NOTES 255 NOTES FROM HONDURAS Wilson Popenoe Guatemalan race. In the highlands of Central Escuela Agricola Panamericana Guatemala, around 8000 to 9000 feet, grows a wild avocado. Our botanist Louis Williams Tegucigalpa considers this a new species and has given it i I can hear you ask, "Why are we interested the name Persea nubigena. There is still a in Honduras?" Perhaps some of you may even possibility that the Guatemalan race may be thinking along the lines of the Biblical have had its origin in this wild form, or in one character who inquired, "Can any good thing of several others, very similar in character, come out of Nazareth?" which are being discovered in Guatemala and Honduras. For several years we have been trying to make Escuela Agricola Panamericana a trop The West Indian race has been even more ical outpost of the avocado industry. We are elusive. Recently, however, the botanist Paul situated in the very heart of the region where Allen has found a wild avocado in Costa Rica the West Indian and Guatemalan races may which may be the thing. I believe I saw this have had their origin. Around us grow wild in Panama, years ago, but I was not able to species of Persea of interest as possible root- get botanical specimens. stocks. We are afflicted by root disease to a The Rootstock Problem perfectly magnificent degree, thus enabling us Apart from what I trust is a laudable curi to give potential new rootstocks the acid test. osity in finding out where our cultivated avo Because of favorable climatic conditions, we cados came from, the search for wild forms can propagate new varieties and bring them has its practical aspect—an aspect which has into production so rapidly it fairly makes your assumed great importance in California. I head swim, thus enabling us to get a prompt refer to the problem of rootstocks. Particu reading on some of their possibilities for other larly in heavy soils—which are abundant in regions, such as yours; And we don't have southern California—avocado trees have died any hurricanes to bother us. We don't even by the thousands, as all of you are aware. have respectable earthquakes. The pathologists are convinced that a fungus, If I have convinced you that something good Phytophthora cinnamomi, is responsible. This for Florida might come out of this Nazareth, organism appears to be common in that state I will comment on a few of the lines we are and in many other regions. It has been iso following. I will commence by talking about lated from sick avocado trees in Peru, in Hon a subject of somewhat recondite interest, but duras, and 1 believe in El Salvador. I do not which in the end may have practical impor know much about its occurrence in Florida, tance. but some of you who are familiar with the sit Wild Avocados uation can talk about that. For many years I have personally been at It has been—and is— the feeling in Cali tempting to trace the three cultivated avocado fornia that commercial avocado culture in that races back to their wild progenitors. Time state will be limited to certain areas unless and again I have thought I had them pretty a rootstock can be found that is more resistant well tied down, only to see them slip through to Phytophthora than any of those which has my hands when new information was brought been used to date. Since quarantine restric to light. For some time now, our California tions have made it difficult to import seeds of colleagues have been chasing the Mexican avocados and related species into the United race from the Rio Grande down to the Isth States, we have hoped that we might be of mus of Tehuantepec, without having found it, assistance by making some preliminary trials as yet, in a state which was convincingly wild. in Honduras. We have been materially as Carl Crawford of Santa Ana, California, has sisted in this work through having with us spent a lot of time and money on this quest, two eminent botanists, one of them Louis Wil in which it is quite probable that he will ul liams, whose name has already been mentioned, timately be successful. the other Paul C. Standley, who is the out I myself have devoted more attention to the standing authority on the flora of Central 256 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1951 America. These two men have been busily at longing to allied genera of the Lauraceae, work rounding up wild Perseas. such as Nectandra and Ocotea have so far So far, only one thing has shown promise proved to lack congeniality. The same is here. This is Persea Schiedeana, known in true of Bielschmiedea (Hufelandia) anayt a Mexico as chinini, in Guatemala as coyo, and tree from Guatemala which bears a fruit in El Salvador and Honduras as chucte and strongly resembling a good-sized avocado of supte. It is a wild, but usually not common tree the Mexican race. in all these regions—and goes clear down to Incidentally, we have had in our plot num Costa Rica where it is known by the name yas. erous seedlings of rather primitive forms of The fruit is good to eat. It is highly esteemed the Mexican race, brought from Mexico and in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, and also in Guatemala, as well as seedlings of the West parts of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras Indian and Guatemalan races, and up to now and Costa Rica. It has been planted in Florida the Mexican seedlings have shown a stronger —George B. Cellon had a tree or two at Mi tendency to die from root diseases at an early ami, and there were a few at the old Plant age than the West Indians; though in our Introduction Garden on Brickell Avenue. All nurseries we have lost many West Indian of these were killed by cold, I believe, before seedlings before they were a year old. Per they had a chance to come into bearing. The haps not much importance can be attached to coyo may be slightly more tender than any of this observation. With us at least, the avo our cultivated avocados, but perhaps if we cado is extremely sensitive to differences in keep it under ground (that is, as a rootstock) soil texture. In a nursery we established last it will get by. The interesting facts are that year, about a quarter of an acre, all the trees it seems to be a fairly congenial stock for the did well except those in an area some 40 avocado (we have healthy three-year-old trees feet in diameter, where they died before the budded on it) and that where avocados on buds had reached suitable size for transplant West Indian roots have died out, it has so far ing. The soil in this small area was sticky, shown considerable resistance to whatever it sandy clay a few inches below the surface. is that kills avocados on our heavy, poorly New Varieties drained soils. There is a tendency for the It is exactly forty years since we introduced stock to outgrow the scion, but no more so than the Fuerte Avocado from Mexico and I budded has been the reverse case with many of our the first trees in the West Indian Gardens at Guatemalan x Mexican hybrids budded on Altadena, California. In spite of the fact that West Indian. Fuerte now accounts for more than 75% of Several years ago a species which has been California's commercial production, time has determined as Persea floccosa was introduced shown that it is not satisfactory in all avocado- into California from the mountains near Ori growing regions. And in spite of the fact that zaba in Mexico. The budwood I brought from literally hundreds of seedlings have since ap that place was used on West Indian seedlings peared and seemed promising commercially, and we lost it. At the College of Agriculture there is still a "variety problem." Most of the in Los Angeles it was saved, and Professor local seedlings have turned out to be what Schroeder told me, when I was there a few George B. Cellon used to call "seven day months ago, that it seemed to be showing con wonders." siderable resistance to root disease. It also There have been some interesting develop seems to be a congenial stock for the avocado, ments. When David Fairchild started me on a as far as can be judged at present. When we ten-year exploration of tropical America, I was saw the fruit in Mexico it looked so much like told to look for one-pound avocados of good a small avocado of the Guatemalan race that quality and good bearing habits. At a recent I did not suspect it was a distinct species. annual meeting of the California Avocado In a plot which we established here at the Society I voiced my grievance: they had made Escuela to test wild avocados and other species me throw away ten years of my life, for now as possible rootstocks, Persea nubigena from they want nothing bigger than an eight or Guatemala has so far shown no promise. Most ten ounce fruit. As you know, there is still of our seedlings died before they were large a strong prejudice against purple avocados. enough to take the bud. Several species be Which reminds me that George B. Cellon once DIJKMAN AND SOULE: MANGO SELECTION 257 told me that he had never ceased to regret ing for Dr.

Load more