Scientists spent half a century creating avocado of the future with incredible features: ‘He never gave up’

THE COOL DOWN - Scientists at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), have successfully developed a new avocado tree after more than 50 years of research and development. UCR’s news website reported that the patent-pending avocado, the Luna UCR, was invented by a team of agricultural scientists at the university. Luna UCR avocados are said...
By Caitlin Samonte | The Cool Down |

12 ingenious discoveries from a year of UC research

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - This time last year, nobody knew how our bodies regulate age-related decline or why some people still hadn’t gotten sick from COVID-19. The origins of the human species remained murky and the world’s avocado supply was more vulnerable to disease. What a difference a year makes. Thanks to the tireless curiosity...
By Julia Busiek | University of California |

Find out why Luna UCR is one of TIME's 200 best inventions of 2023

TIME MAGAZINE - The Luna UCR is one very special avocado. The result of a decades-long breeding program at the University of California, Riverside, it has a flavor similar to that of its popular relative, the Hass, but a bit more “floral,” says program horticulturist Mary Lu Arpaia. The Luna UCR is ripe as soon...
By Tara Law | TIME |

UC Riverside researchers build a better avocado tree

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE - A new kind of avocado — created by UC Riverside researchers — may be appearing in grocery stores in coming years. The Luna UCR avocado will soon be marketed to growers worldwide, though it will be a little longer before you can buy it at the supermarket. It’s not unusual for UCR...
By Sarah Hofmann | The Press-Enterprise |

Why are avocados so fickle?

SLATE - The Hass avocado is the fruit that likely comes to mind when you’re picturing the “perfect” Instagrammable avocado: dark and lightly textured skin, an almost ombre green interior with a precise “give”-to-firmness ratio, and a relatively small, dark pit. It’s “meal-size,” which, entranced by convenience and plagued by mushy brown avocados, we love...
By Addicen Bauer | Slate |

You might see a new kind of avocado at the grocery store soon

ALLRECIPES.COM - Avocado fans know the struggle of timing the exact window of ripeness for enjoying the fruit. But that could all change with a new avocado breed that’s set to hit the market soon. The “Luna” avocado is a new variety of the fruit that's grown on trees that are smaller in size and...
By Alice Knisley Matthias | Allrecipes.com |

A new avocado variety could be the fruit of the future

FOOD & WINE - The University of California Riverside (UCR) has been nicknamed “the Highlanders,” but should they ever decide to switch mascots, the Avocados might be a good choice. The university’s College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences has an acclaimed avocado breeding program that started in the 1950s, and has patented and released eight...
By Jelisa Castrodale | Food & Wine |

Scientists unveil new avocado variety known as the "Luna"

AXIOS - Meet the "Luna," a new variety of avocado grown on a smaller tree and easier to harvest than the dominant Hass breed. Why it matters: The Hass, with its creamy texture and wonderful taste, has fueled our love affair with guacamole and avocado toast. A competitive alternative could make supplies of the fruit...
By Jennifer A. Kingson | Axios |

Weevil pheromones could save California’s avocado orchards

EARTH.COM - Avocado weevils are small beetles with long snouts that drill through fruit to lay their eggs, with their grubs or larvae boring into avocado seeds to feed, and rendering these fruits inedible. Now, a team of researchers from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) has set to find ways of preventing the “evil”...
By Andrei Ionescu | Earth.com |

How to tell if an avocado is bad

FOOD52 - A few years ago, an Australian company called Naturo Technologies invented a machine—the Natavo Zero, aka the Avocado Time Machine. This ATM supposedly miraculously slows the avocado ripening process, keeping it from turning brown for up to 10 days without the use of chemicals—or olive oil, or lemon juice, or red onion. (Naturo...
By Sarah Jampel | Food52 |
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