Marvel, BL516, UCR V04. It went by various names during the experimental phases until the University of California filed for a patent, sold the license to propagation rights, and released it as . . . Luna.
The experimental phases took 40 years. The seed of the mother tree was planted in 1983; the patent was finally secured in 2023. Much continues to be learned about the variety.
I wasn’t sure about this avocado for the first few years I had access to it. However, as I ate more of them, especially over a broader harvest period, I grew fonder.
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Great demostration on the Luna avocado. We have quite a few varieties we planted in the late 80’s but we are still working to help them give a good crop.
Thank you for your knowledge and willingness to share it.
A little background on the Eurosemillas partnership that led to the release of Luna. “In 2020, UCR partnered with Eurosemillas, S.A. to sponsor the UCR avocado breeding programs to help the university deliver the most promising and advanced avocado scions and rootstocks in its collection to market. ‘BL516’ is the first scion cultivar to be released under this partnership.”
https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2020/06/09/uc-riverside-and-eurosemillas-partner-bring-next-generation-avocados-market
Seems exciting than Luna is B-type flower able to pollinate Hass and other A-types, possibly increasing productivity. Or I could be wrong. 🙂
Thanks for the history of this perfect avocado. The Luna is one of my favorites! Your description is spot on. I find the taste and creamy texture just wonderful. I also like that it’s fiber-free and peels nicely. The size is generally good for me too. Can’t wait for the next box.
I have a Haas, Lamb, Carmen, Sir Prize, & Little Cado avocado trees.. most are 10 yrs old. And never hear anything related to the Sir Prize, or Little Cado variety. The Little Cado has the largest & creamiest avocadoes. And is self-pollinating, & only reaches about 10ft tall. And isxa very popular avocado tree in my area (West San Fernando Valley)
Would like to receive comments related to anyone having these varieties growing. Right Now my Lamb is so loaded with avocados, the branches are bending over. (Its about 15ft tall)
i have tried this type of avocado and I’d say it’s good but not great. It was a good avo, don’t get me wrong and it is superior to most B types out there. I would definitely have this in my back yard if I could. Alas, you can’t as they will not sell them to commercial distributors. They are only available to commercial growers. For now I’ll have to stick with my Bacon and D’Arturo as B types to help pollinate my A types and produce good fruit.