Causes of Hass Avocado Fruit Rejection in Preharvest, Harvest, and Packinghouse: Economic Losses and Associated Variables

Abstract

The areas planted with avocado in Colombia have increased to position this fruit in international markets. To achieve this goal, the offered fruits need to meet optimal production standards. The aim of this study was to identify the main physiopathologies and damages that may cause the rejection of avocado cv. Hass fruits for export purposes during pre-harvest, harvest, and processing in packinghouses, and quantify the economic impact of said exclusion criteria. Typological characterization and quantification of damages that may cause fruit rejection were performed at the laboratory, field, and packinghouses. Data were obtained from 136 Colombian productive plots with monitoring and data collection records for a minimum of five years. At the packinghouse level, data associated with factors that affect quality (both, those identified at packing plants and those detected in simulated shipments) were considered. The main causes of fruit rejection during pre-harvest and harvest were: low calibers, damage to the epidermis by insect pests from the subfamily Melolonthidae, thrips, mites, the bug Monalonion, overripe fruits, and sunburn damage. In addition, pathologies such as anthracnose and stem end rot, and problems associated with browning of vascular bundles, irregular ripening, chilling injury, and lenticel damage were highly limiting at packinghouses. The economic analysis identified losses of 5.78 and 5.68% in farms and packinghouses, respectively, which are equivalent to US dollar (USD) 80.29 per produced ton. This work generated information that allows prioritizing strategies to improve fruit quality and reduce economic impact.