TKD-1
A Tamil Nadu Agricultural University selection released in 1996 or 1997, the older of the two TNAU avocados. Dark green fruit of about 425 g with 23.8% fat, planted at 5 x 5 m, and 66 kg a tree in TNAU's figures.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Avocado
- Type
- Grafted planting material (TNAU selection)
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Fruits mature earlier in the avocado harvest season (TNAU). No first-bearing age is published for TKD-1; grafted avocado in general starts fruiting about 3 years after planting (ICAR-IIHR)
- Seed rate
- One grafted plant a pit; no seed is sown. About 400 plants a hectare at 5 x 5 m, which is the high-density spacing TNAU gives for TKD-1.
- Expected yield
- 66 kg a tree, 26.4 t/ha at 5 x 5 m (TNAU Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Released 1996 (station page) or 1997 (TNAU variety list) · Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai
About this variety
TKD-1 is an avocado selected from the germplasm pool by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) and released at its Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai. TNAU's variety list gives the year as 1997 and the station page as 1996. The tree is semi-spreading and suited to high-density planting at 5 x 5 m. The fruit is dark green and medium-sized, about 425 g, with 23.8% fat, and TNAU's variety list calls it round while the station page calls it oval. The fruit matures early in the harvest season. The station page gives an average yield of 66 kg a tree and 26.4 t/ha. TNAU's variety list prints 264 kg a tree, but 264 kg a tree at 400 trees a hectare would be 105.6 t/ha, so 66 kg is the figure that matches 26.4 t/ha. The ad-hoc package of practices for avocado published by the Himachal Pradesh horticulture department also prints 264 kg a tree for TKD-1, along with medium round fruit, 8 Brix, 23.8% fat and 1.35% protein, so the higher figure is the one that travels. The same document says a fully grown tree of other Indian selections gives 150 to 200 kg, and that avocado in general gives 100 to 500 fruits a tree, which puts 264 kg within reach for a mature tree at a wider spacing but not at 400 trees a hectare. TNAU recommends TKD-1 for the lower Pulneys, the Shevroys and other hills of Tamil Nadu, irrigated or rain-fed.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose TKD-1 if you farm the Tamil Nadu hills, the lower Pulneys or the Shevroys, and want the avocado TNAU itself released for those hills. TNAU publishes 66 kg a tree and 26.4 t/ha at 5 x 5 m, fruit of about 425 g and 23.8% fat. It is the variety ICAR-IIHR's 2025 article names as the one commercial avocado available in India before the Arka releases. For the newest TNAU option look at TKD-2 (2025), which has a higher published yield but a very short farm record. For a variety bred for Karnataka and Kerala look at Arka Supreme or Arka Coorg Ravi. TKD-1 is a selection, so buy grafts only from the Thadiyankudisai station or a nursery that names it as the source.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Seed rateOne grafted plant a pit; no seed is sown. About 400 plants a hectare at 5 x 5 m, which is the high-density spacing TNAU gives for TKD-1.
- Spacing5 x 5 m, a high-density planting (TNAU Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai)
- HarvestingTNAU says the fruit matures earlier in the harvesting season than other avocados. Judge maturity by the seed coat inside a sample fruit, which turns from yellowish-white to dark brown (ICAR-IIHR), and let the picked fruit soften for 6 to 10 days.
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
Fruits mature earlier in the avocado harvest season (TNAU). No first-bearing age is published for TKD-1; grafted avocado in general starts fruiting about 3 years after planting (ICAR-IIHR)
Expected yield
66 kg a tree, 26.4 t/ha at 5 x 5 m (TNAU Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Not documented
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- A TNAU release with published yield (66 kg a tree), fat (23.8%) and fruit weight (about 425 g).
- Suited to high-density planting at 5 x 5 m, about 400 trees a hectare.
- Recommended by TNAU for the Tamil Nadu hills under both irrigated and rain-fed conditions.
Things to consider
- TNAU's two pages disagree on the year (1996 or 1997), the fruit shape (round or oval) and the per-tree yield (264 kg or 66 kg). The 66 kg figure is the one that fits 26.4 t/ha.
- We found no disease rating, first-bearing age or harvest months for TKD-1.
- The yield is a station figure. Plan an orchard on a lower number until your own trees have cropped.
Suitable regions
Recommended by TNAU for the lower Pulneys, the Shevroys and other hills of Tamil Nadu, under irrigated and rain-fed conditions.
- Tamil Nadu
Check the TKD-1 yield before you plan an orchard
TNAU's own pages give two yield figures for TKD-1: 66 kg a tree on the station page and 264 kg a tree on the variety list. Both carry the same 26.4 t/ha. A quick sum shows which one is real. At 5 x 5 m there are 400 trees on a hectare, and 400 trees at 66 kg is 26.4 t. At 264 kg it would be 105.6 t, which no avocado orchard gives. So take 66 kg a tree as the TNAU figure.
Then compare it fairly. ICAR-IIHR gives its Arka releases 80 to 120 kg a tree, at 6 x 6 m grafts, from about the eighth year. TKD-1 gives fewer kilograms a tree but is planted closer, and these are different stations, years and spacings. The honest reading is that TKD-1 has a modest per-tree yield and a decent per-hectare yield because of its density, not that it beats or loses to the Arka releases.
Before you commit a block, ask the Thadiyankudisai station for the age at which TKD-1 trees reach 66 kg and for the water they were given. Plant a few trees of two varieties side by side on your own slope. The result in five or six years will tell you more than any table.
Can you save seed from this crop?
This one is raised from planting material — suckers, grafts, cuttings or tubers — not from a seed packet. Take it from a registered nursery or a government farm, so the plant is true to the variety and free of disease.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Avocado variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Coorg Ravi | Farmers in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu hill tracts who want big, high-pulp fruit and a B-type partner for A-type trees | A grafted plant starts fruiting about 3 years after planting; commercial yields generally start about 8 years after planting (ICAR-IIHR) | 80–100 kg a plant a year at full bearing (ICAR-IIHR, Indian Horticulture 2025) | Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Arka Supreme | Farmers in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu hill tracts who can wait about eight years and want a high-fat, A-type avocado | A grafted plant starts fruiting about 3 years after planting; commercial yields generally start about 8 years after planting (ICAR-IIHR) | 80–120 kg a plant a year at full bearing (ICAR-IIHR, Indian Horticulture 2025) | Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Fuerte | Farmers in cool mid-altitude hills, such as Sikkim, who need a B-type partner for Hass or Arka Supreme | Grafted avocado starts yielding 3 to 4 years after planting and seedlings 5 to 6 (Himachal Pradesh package of practices), while ICAR-IIHR puts commercial yields at about 8 years; no Indian figure for Fuerte alone | No Indian yield figure for Fuerte alone. Avocado in general gives 100 to 500 fruits a tree (Himachal Pradesh package of practices) | Sikkim |
| Green (local seedling type) | Owners of old Green seedling avocado trees in Coorg, Kerala and Sikkim who want to keep them bearing and use the later September to October harvest | 5 to 6 years to first bearing as a seedling tree, against about 3 years for a grafted plant (ICAR-IIHR) | Varies from tree to tree; seedling trees in Sikkim give 300 to 400 fruits a tree at 10 to 15 years (FAO) | Karnataka, Kerala, Sikkim |
| Hass | Farmers who can buy true grafted plants and whose buyer asks for Hass by name, with a B-type partner in the block | Grafted avocado starts yielding 3 to 4 years after planting and seedlings 5 to 6 (Himachal Pradesh package of practices), while ICAR-IIHR puts commercial yields at about 8 years; no Indian figure for Hass alone | No Indian yield figure for Hass alone. Avocado in general gives 100 to 500 fruits a tree (Himachal Pradesh package of practices); ICAR-IIHR gives 80–120 kg a plant for its own A-type release, Arka Supreme. | Sikkim |
| Purple (local seedling type) | Owners of old seedling avocado trees in Coorg, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sikkim who want to keep them producing and time the July harvest | 5 to 6 years to first bearing as a seedling tree, against about 3 years for a grafted plant (ICAR-IIHR) | Varies from tree to tree; seedling trees in Sikkim give 300 to 400 fruits a tree at 10 to 15 years (FAO) | Karnataka, Kerala, Sikkim |
| TKD-1this page | Farmers in the Tamil Nadu hills who want a TNAU-released avocado with published yield, fat and spacing figures, grown at high density | Fruits mature earlier in the avocado harvest season (TNAU). No first-bearing age is published for TKD-1; grafted avocado in general starts fruiting about 3 years after planting (ICAR-IIHR) | 66 kg a tree, 26.4 t/ha at 5 x 5 m (TNAU Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai) | Tamil Nadu |
| TKD-2 | Farmers in the Tamil Nadu hills who want TNAU's newest avocado with the highest published yield and some pest and wilt tolerance, and accept a short farm record | A perennial. No first-bearing age is published for TKD-2; grafted avocado in general starts fruiting about 3 years after planting (ICAR-IIHR). Fruiting season June to September (TNAU) | 129.61 kg a tree a year, 51.84 t/ha, about 480 fruits a tree (TNAU, 2025) | Tamil Nadu |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Avocado is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Avocado plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Avocado variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Avocado into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Avocado rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Avocado seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
How many TKD-1 trees go on a hectare, and what spacing does TNAU give?
TNAU gives 5 x 5 m, called high-density planting, which is 400 trees a hectare. At 66 kg a tree that makes 26.4 t/ha. ICAR-IIHR's Arka releases are grafted at 6 x 6 m, about 110 plants an acre, so TKD-1 is planted closer than they are.
Where can TKD-1 be grown?
TNAU recommends it for the lower Pulneys, the Shevroys and other hills of Tamil Nadu, under irrigated and rain-fed conditions. We found no trial of TKD-1 outside Tamil Nadu. As with every avocado, the site must drain freely, because the tree cannot tolerate waterlogging, and the soil pH should be 5.5 to 6.5 (ICAR-IIHR).
Is TKD-1 an A-type or a B-type avocado?
We found no source that says. ICAR-IIHR lists Arka Supreme, Hass and Reed as A types and Arka Coorg Ravi, Shepard and Fuerte as B types, and does not name TKD-1. Since avocado sets best when A and B types flower together, ask the Thadiyankudisai station which type TKD-1 is before you choose its partner.
How is TKD-1 different from TKD-2?
TKD-2 is the newer TNAU release, from 2025, a clonal selection from TKD PA 82. TNAU gives it 129.61 kg a tree (51.84 t/ha), 270 g fruit and a regular, cluster-bearing habit, against 66 kg a tree (26.4 t/ha) and about 425 g fruit for TKD-1. TKD-2 has the higher published yield and TKD-1 the longer farm record.
How do I know TKD-1 fruit is ready to pick?
TNAU says the fruit matures early in the harvesting season, but gives no months. Do not go by the date or by colour alone. ICAR-IIHR says avocado is ready when the seed coat inside turns from yellowish-white to dark brown. The fruit does not ripen on the tree, and mature fruit softens 6 to 10 days after picking.
Sourced from: Ad-hoc package of practices: avocado — Himachal Pradesh horticulture department / COH&F Neri, Hamirpur, TNAU Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai — Avocado TKD-1 (special features), TNAU Agritech — Avocado TKD.1 (variety description), Enhancing avocado farming: Arka Coorg Ravi and Arka Supreme — Indian Horticulture 70(2), 2025 (ICAR-IIHR). editorial policy.