A group of Mexican scientists expect to obtain the first native criollo avocado genome later this year with plans to improve quality and yields for the fruit, website Invdes.com.mx reported.

The Mexican National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio) scientists also expect to identify the genomes of seven other varieties in 2012, the story reported.

Research head Dr. Luis Herrera said knowledge of the genetic material of the fruit would help better understand avocado characteristics such as flavor, pulp texture, oil content and the peel, the story reported.

He said this knowledge could also go towards reducing the size of the tree, which is currently high and difficult to harvest.

"We know that the criollo has better pulp texture, flavor and oil content, but we can't commercialize it easily as the skin is very thin, so it's not viable for export, unlike the Hass which has a thick peel," he was quoted as saying.

"If you could combine both those features it would be an advantage in the future."

Photo: Municipality of Texcoco

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