Defective Ovules in Avocado Cultivars1

Abstract

Normal, abnormal, and degenerate ovules of avocado ( Persea americana Mill.) are described and illustrated. The frequency of occurrence of these ovule types differed among 4 cultivars (‘Fuerte’, ‘Ettinger’, ‘Hass’, ‘Tova’) with a total frequency ranging from 15 to 40%. A higher frequency of apparently degenerative ovules increased the proportion considered defective to 80–98%. No relationship could be discerned between the percentage of normal ovules and the yields of 8 trees differing widely in fruitfulness.