A Queensland avocado variety that produces a massive one-kilogram (2.2lb) fruit has been released for commercial sale in Australia.
The Jala avocado, known for its large size and slow oxidation, is expected to sell out in its initial release.
While eager farmers and gardeners might be quick to pluck the plants off shelves, the story of the impressive fruits is one rooted in tradition and history.
It all started around 30 years ago with Sunshine Coast citrus grower, the late Ken Spackman, who noticed an interesting avocado tree while clearing land on his property.
His wife, Lorna, now 81, recalls the time they knew something special had come from that seed.
“Some more seedlings grew under that, and one tree produced extra special fruit, which I gave to my neighbour to try and he absolutely loved it,” she said.
Fruit from the tree are enormous, with one single fruit weighing about the same as four typical avocados.
“I need both hands to pick them,” Spackman said.
“They’re attractive looking, they’re thick-skinned, the seed is not so big in comparison, the flesh is very solid.”
After they could get enough growing, the Spackmans sent fruit to the Brisbane Markets.
They established an official trial plot, planting Jala beside other big avocado varieties, including the aptly named Avozilla from South Africa, and the large Choquette avocado from South Florida.
Spackman said the trial proved their trees had features distinct enough to warrant registering a new variety.
“The number of fruit on the tree, the size, the flavour, the fact that it didn’t oxidise quickly,” she said.
Spackman said the large Jala fruit cut down on labour by being quicker to process and was less likely to go to waste because of browning.
She and her neighbour teamed up with Fleming’s Nursery at Woombye, which is now the licensed propagator.
Fleming’s Nursery won the best new product with its grafted Jala trees at the recent Greenlife/Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland conference.
Reflecting on the time her husband planted one single seed and grew something amazing, Spackman said there was a definite element of luck involved in the cultivation of the variety.
“When you plant an avocado from seed the likelihood of that tree producing delicious edible fruit is very, very slim,” she said.
“A lot of the time the fruit that will come up might be bitter, they might be flavourless, they might be overly watery.
“It really is just luck.”
Fleming’s Nursery manager Jess Fleming said Jala trees grew up to about 10 metres tall, depending on soil type and environmental conditions, and had great potential for home gardens because they “yield well and easily.”
So far, Fleming’s has almost sold out the 1,000-strong first release of young Jala trees, which are bound for national chains across Queensland.
Further releases are planned for the end of 2024 and into 2025.
Although some Jala fruit has been sent to the Brisbane markets, seasonal supply has been limited to the small number of mature trees in trial orchards.
Fleming said for the fruit itself to be commercially viable as a product, further trials to see how well it is stored and handled during transport would be required.
“When we talk about commercialisation of a product into supermarkets there’s a lot more testing involved,” she said.
