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 more plentiful.

Driving the news: After a half-century of breeding and development, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) has released the Luna UCR (to use its trademarked name).

• The Luna "offers consumers great flavor, a rind that turns a tell-tale black when ripe, and high postharvest quality," UC Riverside said in a statement.
• "Growers, meanwhile, will benefit from a smaller tree size, allowing denser plantings for more efficient and safer harvesting, and minimal pruning."

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