Updated

Updated · ucanr.edu · Aug 3

UC Davis Study Finds Single Gene Drives Avocado Flower Types, Evolved 42 Million Years Ago

Updated

Updated · ucanr.edu · Aug 3

UC Davis Study Finds Single Gene Drives Avocado Flower Types, Evolved 42 Million Years Ago

3 articles · Updated · ucanr.edu · Aug 3

A UC Davis-led study found that variation in one gene controls whether avocado flowers follow the A-type or B-type daily rhythm, solving a long-standing question about how the trees switch sex function.
About half of avocado trees open female flowers in the morning and male flowers later, while the other half do the reverse—a pattern that reduces self-pollination and inbreeding.
The gene appears to have evolved roughly 42 million years ago, according to the research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
For breeders and growers, the finding could speed seedling sorting, help optimize A- and B-type planting mixes, and support development of higher-yield avocado varieties.

Sources

ucanr.edu20d ago

UC Davis Researchers Discover Single Gene Controls Avocado Flower Types

The Packer20d ago

University Researchers Crack the Avocado Code to Boost Breeding Efficiency - The Packer

pnas.org20d ago

Balanced polymorphism in a floral transcription factor underlies the ancient rhythm of daily sex alternation in avocado | PNAS

4 Sources

Could a 42-million-year-old genetic clock hidden in avocados hold the secret to revolutionizing how we breed all fruit trees?

If temperature alters daily flowering times, will extreme climate shifts eventually break this ancient genetic rhythm and threaten future avocado harvests?