Diseases of the Avocado

The diseases of the avocado in Hawaii have received comparatively little attention from pathologists. This introductory paper on the subject is presented to the Avocado Association of Hawaii at the invitation of Dr. W. D. Baldwin. The material is largely an interpretation of the literature as it seems to apply to our local industry. Critical studies of the local avocado diseases which should serve as a foundation for an authoritative discussion of the subject have not been made. If this paper serves in any degree to clarify the confusion that exists in the subject of avocado diseases its purpose will have been fulfilled. In Hawaii, the various spots and blemishes of the avocado fruit have not been clearly differentiated nor the causes ascertained with sufficient accuracy to be of much value. The literature from other countries is often not accessible and offers too much confusion of names of diseases and causal parasitic organisms to be readily useful to the avocado grower. A similar condition prevails with the diseases of the leaves, branches and trunk of the tree.