Phytochemicals, nutrients and environmental factors associated with the roughness of avocado ‘Hass’ skin in three regions of Mexico

Abstract

The environment in which the fruit of avocado ( Persea americana Mill.) cv. Hass determines the characteristics of your skin which represents the first natural barrier and the tissue that interacts directly with the environment. The fruit is exposed to many types of stress and to protect itself produces a wide variety of phytochemicals, called secondary metabolites. It is unknown if aspects such as nutritional composition and skin morphology could also be affected. The study was carried out in commercial Avocado “Hass” orchards with the standard management of each producer in order to determine phytochemical concentrations (total phenolics, total chlorophylls, total carotenoids and lignin) and nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn and B), and to establish their relationship with the roughness of the fruit skin during its development in three regions with different types of climate. The type of climate (warm, semi-warm or temperate) influenced the production of phytochemicals and the roughness of ‘Hass’skin. The global analysis showed that the fruits of the warm climate presented the highest concentration of total carotenoids and greater roughness, while in the temperate climate, the roughness was lower. The thickness of the protuberances of the skin and the cork was significantly correlated with the concentration of lignin and macronutrients.