El aguacate ha sido plantado y consumido desde hace más de nueve mil años sobre la Tierra, sin embargo, solo hacia finales del siglo XX se dio un aumento sostenido de su cultivo y producción, que sobrepasó, en 2018, los 5,6 millones de toneladas. Además ha adquirido una gran valor en la dieta humana para su consumo en fresco debido a sus calidades nutricionales y organolépticas. No obstante, la composición y las cualidades nutricionales de los frutos son muy variables, pues dependen del clima, el suelo, la temperatura, la humedad, la cantidad de lluvia durante el desarrollo del fruto y las prácticas de manejo del cultivo, además de las diferencias genotípicas entre cultivares. Dado que Colombia aún no cuenta con toda la información técnica necesaria para acompañar el incremento de nuevas áreas de cultivo y salvaguardar las actuales, este manual compendia una cantidad importante de temas clave para su cultivo.

Annual defoliation and refoliation cycles that occur in rubber trees after 5 years of age have a strong interaction with foliar diseases attacks. The rubber phenology was studied in the eastern plains of Colombia, in the municipality of Puerto López, department of Meta, where variables such as foliar density, percentage of leaves in stages A, B, C and D and flowering density were evaluated in clones IAN 873, FX 3864 and RRIM 600, between August 2016 and September 2018. All three clones showed a foliar density higher than 80% with leaves in stage D, between March and December (weeks 12–50 of the year). The defoliation started in the last weeks of the year, with the beginning of the dry season. The refoliation extended until mid-March (week 11) in 2017, and until February (week 6) in 2018. The presence of leaves in stages A, B and C during 8–13 weeks was observed at the plantation level, according to the clone and the evaluation year. The duration of the refoliation per tree was on average 6.73 ± 0.22 weeks in 2017 and 4.42 ± 0.39 weeks in 2018. Flowering coincided with refoliation, during a period of negative water balance and high solar radiation. Expansion of inflorescences was observed in the first weeks of the year between January and March, with the absence of reproductive development when the crop was dominated by leaves in stage D.

The knowledge of the defoliation-refoliation process in rubber cultivation allows the development of management strategies in the production system to improve rubber yield. The objective of this study was to determine the intensity and duration of defoliation-refoliation of rubber clones FX 3864, IAN 710 and IAN 873 in the municipality of Tarazá and the FX 3864 and IAN 873 clones in the municipality of Nechí (northwestern Colombia). From October 2015 to June 2016, the measurements of the necromass were carried out in each location for each clone. The light environment was quantified, employing the hemispheric photographs technique to estimate canopy openness percentage (CO) and leaf area index. The assessed weeks were grouped by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based on the original phenology and climatic variables. The defoliation-refoliation process was analyzed descriptively using graphical representations of the trend for the phenological variables that best described this process. The relationship between climatic and phenological variables in the period evaluated was evidenced; the rainfall was the most critical climatic characteristic in the induction of the defoliation process. The leaf area index was reduced to a minimum value in February, with values of 0.52 for IAN 710 clone in Tarazá, and 0.64 for the IAN 873 clone in Nechí, which corresponded to the highest defoliation stage in both locations. The refoliation period was short (4 to 6 weeks) and occurred during the dry season for all the clones in both places.

In agriculture, agroclimatic zoning procedures through geographic information systems provide producers, technical assistants, decision‐makers, and investors with land‐use planning and decision‐making tools. This study aims at identifying and delimiting areas suitable for the cultivation of rubber [Hevea brasiliensis Willd. ex A. Juss.) Müll. Arg.] in Colombia, using the species requirements at a scale of 1:100,000, as well as identifying escape zones for the South American leaf blight (SALB) disease (caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora ulei). The study was carried out following the agroecological zoning methodology for the definition of land use proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Spatial analysis tools were used to raster data with ArcGIS Desktop 10.7, incorporating and evaluating climatic and soil variables. The obtained results showed that there are 5,480,543 ha suitable for cultivating natural rubber in Colombia. However, these areas present favorable climatic conditions for the development of the SALB.

The objective of this work was to determine the effect of planting densities on the yield and quality of 'Hass' avocado (Persea americana) in the department of Antioquia, Colombia. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks with three replicates. The treatments were six plant densities (204, 278, 333, 400, 625, and 816 trees per hectare) with five harvest seasons, and each experimental unit consisted of six nine-year-old trees. The highest fruit yield is obtained at 333 and 400 trees per hectare. The main harvest represents 70% (18 Mg ha^-1) of the annual production, whereas the secondary (mitaca) harvest represents 30% (5.25 Mg ha^-1). Yield per tree and number of avocado fruits per tree are negatively affected by the increase in planting densities. In addition, fruit quality parameters show better results at intermediate planting densities of 333 and 400 trees per hectare, with the highest ratios of mesocarp and the lowest of seed, both in fresh and dry weight.

The cultivation of avocado cv. Hass (Persea americana Miller) in Colombia has grown in recent years. Among the country's challenges is to increase the orchards' productivity by guaranteeing grafts plants the best agronomic, genetic, and phytosanitary parameters. This work aims to evaluate for 90 days (nursery phase) the growth and development of avocado rootstocks originated from seeds with different weight ranges. A completely randomized experimental design was carried out, with treatments consisting in four Creole avocado seed weights (40-60 g, 60-80 g, 80-100 g, and over 100 g). In general, seeds greater than 80 g had the best germination percentage (over 70 %), a greater plant height, and a greater stem diameter in each of the evaluated periods. The seeds greater than 100 g presented the emergence of multiple stems at 30 days after transplanting; this fact was related to the size and reserves of the seed. The highest accumulated dry matter in stems, leaves, and total plant (without seeds) (cotyledons) were present in treatments with seeds above 80 g. These plants showed higher germination, significant more accumulation of biomass and greater vigor, which could shorten the nursery time while guaranteeing the quality of the material influenced by improved growth and seedling survival.