Effect of the Application of Complete Fertilizers on the Composition of Fuerte Avocado Fruit

It was pointed out in a previous report (1) that the inorganic composition of the pulp of Fuerte avocado fruit varies according to the availability of fertilizer elements in orchard soils. Fullmer (2) has shown for these same orchards that the petioles (leaf stalks) and leaf blades from trees in orchards that have received fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium tended to contain higher concentrations of these elements than those from trees in orchards fertilized chiefly with nitrogen. According to the revised avocado bulletin (3) an average of about one-third of an avocado fruit is refuse, the actual range extending from 13.60 to 47.00 per cent. Most of the waste consists of the seed whereas the highly important protective coverings such as the skin and the seed coat are also included. Weatherby and Sorber (4) have reported the percentage content of many of the organic constituents of the seed whereas scant, if any, data, are available regarding the inorganic composition of the avocado seed and skin. The present data show the relationship of the inorganic composition of the skin, seed coat, and seed to that of pulp which was shown (1) to be related to leaf composition and soil fertilization (2).