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Avocado
> Year-Round IPM Program > Harvest > Minimize
Fruit Injury
Avocado
 Minimize
Fruit Injury and Postharvest Disease
- Do not pick when fruit or plants are wet.
Picking wet fruit can greatly reduce its quality
during storage and increases the incidence
of postharvest diseases.
- Clip
off stems, especially
if fruit is snapped from the tree without clippers.
- Place
fruit on clean tarps or
in bags, not on the ground. Do not pick up
fruit from the ground.
- Use only clean, sanitized bins.
Plant debris and soil in dirty
bins are
commonly infested with pathogens that can
spread postharvest diseases.
- Keep fruit shaded and
cool. Place bins in sheltered locations,
or shade bins during harvest with
tarps. Do not use avocado foliage as this
may favor the spread of certain pests on leaves
when bins are moved.
- Protect fruit from vertebrate
damage, including bird excrement and
rat chewing; for example, place bins
in sheds until shipped to the packinghouse.
- Cool
fruit promptly to
the proper temperature until marketed to minimize
fruit rot and preserve fruit quality.
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