RT Journal Article
T1 Identifying Optimal Zones for Avocado (Persea americana Mill) Cultivation in Iberian Peninsula: A Climate Suitability Analysis
A1 Domínguez Moreno, Antonio
A1 García Martín, Abelardo
A1 Moreno Cuesta, Eduardo
A1 González Algarra, Encarnación
A1 Allendes Lagos, Gonzalo
AB In recent decades, the cultivation of avocados (Persea americana Mill) has expanded throughoutthe Iberian Peninsula, with most of the production occurring on the Southern Atlantic andMediterranean Coast, as well as in the Canary Islands. This expansion is due to high demand andhigh prices, which have made the crop very attractive. However, climatic suitability criteria have notalways been followed, putting sustainability at risk. Avocados originate from tropical and subtropicalareas and have very specific climatic requirements that must be met to ensure good production.This study analyzed the key climatic variables, including winter cold damage, pollen viability andflowering and fruit set temperatures. Using daily climate data from 1975 to 2022, advanced spatialanalysis techniques were applied to produce suitability maps. The results indicate that the expansionof the crop is possible in certain areas of Southern Andalusia but not in the rest of the peninsula.Variables associated with low temperatures, such as cold damage (temperatures below 0 ◦C in winter)and conditions unfavorable for fruit set (minimum daily temperatures below 10 ◦C in spring),have been identified as the most restrictive factors. Specifically, the number of days with minimumtemperatures above 10 ◦C in March and April appears to be the most limiting climatic factor foravocado cultivation in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. Andalusia and the ValencianCommunity have been identified as the most climatically suitable regions for avocado cultivation,with approximately 1,500,000 hectares recognized as potentially suitable for avocado production.This work provides valuable insights into the potential for sustainable agricultural intensification,the sustainability of agricultural decision-making and resilience to climate change.
PB MDPI
SN 2073-445X (electrónico)
YR 2024
FD 2024-08
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/24115
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/24115
LA eng
NO Domínguez, A., García-Martín, A., Moreno, E., González, E., Paniagua, L. L., & Allendes, G. (2024). Identifying Optimal Zones for Avocado (Persea americana Mill) Cultivation in Iberian Peninsula: A Climate Suitability Analysis. In Land (Vol. 13, Issue 8, p. 1290). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13081290
NO This research was funded by the Junta de Extremadura and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the GR18088 (Research Group RNM028).
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 1 jun 2026