<i>Persea americana </i>plant named ‘BeeOne’

Abstract

The present invention introduces a novel and distinct variety of Persea americana Mill., named BeeOne, which emerged from a chance seedling discovered in the Western Cape of South Africa, with commendable commercial traits, including late maturation, thick green skin, and characteristics from both the Mexican and Guatemalan horticultural traits. The traits of BeeOne have been systematically documented from 2018 to the present. Key distinguishing features of BeeOne include its very late ripening and obovate fruit shape, which possesses a notably thick, highly pebbled skin. The fruit is dark green with a flattened base, offering an excellent shelf life and a creamy/nutty flavor profile, complemented by a favorable pulp-to-seed ratio. The tree shape of BeeOne is characterized as upright to moderately spreading, featuring one to three central leaders, which enhances its suitability for high-density planting and interplanting alongside A-flower types, ensuring effective cross-pollination.

Claims

1. A new and distinct variety of Persea americana Mill. plant named BeeOne as illustrated and described herein.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The accompanying drawings are color photographs of the new avocado plant BeeOne during December 2023 to September 2024.

(2) FIG. 1 is a colored photograph of a frontal view of a typical fruit of BeeOne alongside the fruit of Reed.

(3) FIG. 2 is a colored photograph of a fruit stem end view of a typical fruit of BeeOne alongside the fruit of Reed.

(4) FIG. 3 is a colored photograph of a fruit distal end view of a typical fruit of BeeOne alongside the fruit of Reed.

(5) FIG. 4 is a colored photograph of a frontal view of a typical cut fruit of BeeOne alongside the fruit of Reed showing the pulp with and without seed respectively.

(6) FIG. 5 is a frontal view of a leaf of BeeOne alongside a leaf of Reed.

(7) FIG. 6 is a frontal view of a leaf flush of BeeOne alongside a leaf flush of Reed.

(8) FIG. 7 is photograph of the BeeOne tree to illustrate the typical tree shape.

(9) FIG. 8 is a photograph of a number of BeeOne trees to illustrate the high density of trees planted in a 3 meter by 5 meter spacing.

(10) FIG. 9 is a photograph of a BeeOne flower showing opening of the flower on the first day of opening with anthers pressed against flower petals.

(11) FIG. 10 is a photograph of a BeeOne flower showing opening of the flower on the second day of opening with anthers raised around the pistil and pollen sack valves opening to release pollen.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

(12) The aforementioned drawings, following observations and measurements describe BeeOne grown by the inventor at the premises of the applicant's farm in Leeukloof, Western Cape, Republic of South Africa during December 2023 to September 2024. Tree general: Size.Medium. Approximately 4.5 meters in height. Trunk size average 48.5 cm in circumference when tree height is at 4.5 meters. Bark color is substantially identical to other commercial varieties like Reed and Hass (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 139) and light brown or gray, RHS Greyed-Green 197C in coloration. The bark on new wood is smooth, becoming corky on older wood, as with most avocado varieties. Form.The typical tree form or shape is upright to moderately spreading. This shape lends itself to high density plantings and interplanting. Branching habit.Moderately spreading with one 1-3 central leaders. Density.High density of trees can be planted in a 3 meter by 5 meter spacing. Leaves: Young shoot/leaf.Color light green 144D with anthocyanin color sometimes present in very young flush leaves. Shape.Elliptic to oval with acute tip and acute base. Size.55-110 cm.sup.2. Average length 17.1 cm; average width 7.3 cm. Weight.2.6 grams average. Bearing.Alternate. Margins.Slightly undulate. Surface texture.Upper leaf smooth waxy; lower leaf slightly leathery. Leaf blade anise aroma.None. Mature leaf color.Dark green near green group 139A with slightly glossy upper epidermis, and matte green underside near green group 137C. Petiole.Average length 4-6 cm, smooth surface texture, color light green 144D. Flowers: Type.Mostly indeterminate cymose panicles of flowers opening in synchronous dichotomy of Type B. Bud size.Individual flower buds average 8.1 millimeters (mm) in length. Flower buds are born on short pedicels 1-2 cm long on cymose panicles of 45-230 flowers. Inflorescence.Size: 9-16 cm, average 14 cm. Bud and panicle color.Near yellow-green group 151A. Petals.A total of 3, borne in a single whorl of three, slightly pubescent with entire margins with color near yellow green 151A. Sepals.A total of 3, borne in a single whorl of three, slightly pubescent with entire margins with color near yellow green 151A. Stamen.9 fertile stamens in 2 whorls, outer whorl of 6 stamens and inner whorl of 3 stamens each having 4 pollen chambers. Pistil.Simple, single pistil with one ovule in one carpel. Style.Straight. Nectaries.Sessile to stalked with 1 mm stalks. Pedicel.Pedicellate flower with 7.5 mm long pedicels with a thickness of 0.6 mm and a color near yellow-green group 151A. Opening.Synchronous dichotomy, single flowers opening twice over 2 consecutive days; female in the afternoon of day 1, and male in the morning of day 2 (B-flower type). Fertility.B-flower type with demonstrated strong/cross pollination of A-flower types. Blooming period.Extended, from late winter to end of spring. Fruit: Date of first picking.Late-spring. Date of last picking.Mid-summer. Form/shape.Obovate. Base.Rounded. Apex.Rounded to truncate with an 30 offset flattened plane approximately 3-5 cm in diameter on the distal end which is often moderately russeted. Size.185 grams to 295 grams. Pedicel.Symmetrical, cylindrical thicker at fruit junction, pedicel nail absent, length 95-295 mm, 5-10 mm diameter, pebbled texture, yellow-green color 144D. Attachment.Centrally attached on highest point of fruit or may be slightly offset. Size.Generally smaller than Reed variety and larger than Hass (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 139) variety. Average length 136 mm. Average diameter 117 mm. Average weight 228 g. Color.Dark glossy green skin 135B with yellow-green 144D lenticels; becoming dark matte green 135B in late season and after ripening near green group 137A. Flesh: Texture.Creamy. Fruit fibers.Slight in first crop, with none detected on subsequent crops. Eating quality.Excellent with similar flavor profile to Maluma (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,099) and Reed. Flavor.Good, with a slightly sweet creamy/nutty taste. Flesh to seed ratio.Excellent. Approximately 4.6:1. Color.Yellow-green 154C; with 3 mm yellow-green 144D layer adjacent to skin. Seed coat surface.Smooth to slightly wrinkled, becoming smooth to slightly wrinkled and papery when mature. Skin: Thickness.Very thick. Approximately 1.8 mm. Surface.Highly pebbled texture with pronounced lenticels. Lenticels.Conspicuous, medium size, with yellow-green color 144D. Skin separation.Thick, does not separate from pulp by hand peeling, but pulp is easily scooped out with a spoon. Skin is thick, leathery, and not pliable similar to Reed and unlike varieties Fuerte or Harvest U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,238). Color.Dark glossy green 135B often with prominent yellow flecks 144D on lenticels. Seed: Shape.Spheroid. Size.Average: Length 48 mm; width 45 mm. Weight.29.5 grams average. Color.Seed coat is dark brown greyed orange group 177A at maturity, with fleshy colored cotyledons in the near orange white group 159C. Productivity.Medium high, regular bearing. 140-240 fruit per tree with an average yield of 18150 kg/ha. Uses: Fresh and processed fruit products. Keeping quality: Long shelf life of 11 to 14 days; cut mid-season fruit shows slow oxidative browning in ambient air. Shipping quality: Excellent with low incidents of post-harvest decay or softening when held at 5 degrees Celsius for 28 days. Plant/fruit disease resistance/susceptibility: Not known. The variety is not genetically modified and has been tested to be free of avocado sunblotch viroid. Plant hardiness or heat/cold resistance: The tree appears to have moderate heat and cold tolerance similar to that of Reed.