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 of UC’s world-class researchers, these problems and thousands more like them are well on their way to lasting solutions. In 2023, every campus, lab and medical center came through with findings that benefit our health, happiness and the very fate of our planet.
UC Riverside and UC ANR horticulturists perfected the avocado
A new avocado variety that’s more than a half-century in the making is coming to a produce aisle near you. It’s called the Luna UCR™ and it’s the fruit of the avocado breeding program at UC Riverside. Released to commercial growers earlier this year, the Luna offers consumers great flavor, a rind that turns a tell-tale black when ripe and high postharvest quality. Growers at several UC Agricultural and Natural Resources locations found that the Luna’s smaller tree size allows denser plantings, more efficient and safer harvesting and easier pruning.