TKD-2
The newest TNAU avocado, released in 2025: a clonal selection from TKD PA 82 with 129.61 kg a tree (51.84 t/ha), medium fruit of 270 g, a regular cluster-bearing habit and moderate resistance to fruit borer, shot hole borer and wilt.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Avocado
- Type
- Grafted planting material (TNAU clonal selection, 2025)
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- 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)
- Seed rate
- One grafted plant a pit; no seed is sown. TNAU's figures (129.61 kg a tree and 51.84 t/ha) work out to 400 trees a hectare, but the release note does not state a spacing.
- Expected yield
- 129.61 kg a tree a year, 51.84 t/ha, about 480 fruits a tree (TNAU, 2025)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Released 2025 · Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU new variety release, 2025)
About this variety
TKD-2 is an avocado released by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in 2025, one of three fruit varieties in that year's release list. It is a clonal selection from the accession TKD PA 82. TNAU describes it as a perennial and a regular bearer with a cluster-bearing habit, giving about 480 fruits a tree a year. The fruits are medium-sized, 270 g, and the yield is 129.61 kg a tree a year, which is 51.84 t/ha. It suits high-density planting and fruits from June to September. TNAU rates it moderately resistant to fruit borer, shot hole borer and wilt disease. The release note does not give fat content, fruit colour, flowering type or recommended districts.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose TKD-2 if you farm the Tamil Nadu hills and want the avocado with the highest yield TNAU has published: 129.61 kg a tree, 51.84 t/ha, from about 480 fruits of 270 g. It is also the only avocado here rated moderately resistant to fruit borer, shot hole borer and wilt. The catch is time. It was released in 2025, so there is almost no farm record, and the yield comes from TNAU's own trials. If you want the longer record, TKD-1 (1996 or 1997) is the safer choice, with a lower published yield of 66 kg a tree. For a mixed orchard, put a few TKD-2 trees beside TKD-1 and compare.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Seed rateOne grafted plant a pit; no seed is sown. TNAU's figures (129.61 kg a tree and 51.84 t/ha) work out to 400 trees a hectare, but the release note does not state a spacing.
- SpacingSuitable for high-density planting (TNAU); the release note gives no spacing
- HarvestingFruiting season June to September (TNAU). 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
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)
Expected yield
129.61 kg a tree a year, 51.84 t/ha, about 480 fruits a tree (TNAU, 2025)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- The highest yield TNAU has published for an avocado: 129.61 kg a tree, 51.84 t/ha.
- Moderately resistant to fruit borer, shot hole borer and wilt disease.
- A regular bearer with a cluster-bearing habit, suited to high-density planting.
Things to consider
- Released in 2025, so there is almost no farm record. The yield is from TNAU's own trials.
- The release note gives no fat content, flowering type (A or B), spacing or districts. Ask the Thadiyankudisai station.
- Moderate resistance is not immunity. Keep the site well drained, because wilt and root rot follow standing water.
Suitable regions
Released by TNAU in 2025. The release note does not name districts, so ask the Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai, where it has been tested.
- Tamil Nadu
What to ask before you buy TKD-2 plants
A 2025 release has a thin public record, so most of the due diligence is a list of questions. Put them to the Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai, or to the nursery that supplies the grafts.
First, the source: is the scion wood from TNAU's own TKD PA 82 clone, and what is the grafting date? Second, the pollination partner: TNAU does not say whether TKD-2 is an A type or a B type, and an avocado block sets best when both types flower together. Third, the test conditions: ask at what age the trees gave 129.61 kg, at what spacing and with how much water. TNAU's figures of 129.61 kg and 51.84 t/ha imply 400 trees a hectare, but that is arithmetic, not a stated spacing.
Finally, size your first planting to your risk. A small block of TKD-2 beside an older variety such as TKD-1 costs little and tells you in a few seasons whether the published yield holds on your slope. Keep the site free-draining, because the wilt tolerance TNAU records is moderate.
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-1 | 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-2this page | 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
What yield does TNAU give for TKD-2?
TNAU gives 129.61 kg a tree a year, which is 51.84 t/ha, from about 480 fruits a tree of 270 g each. That is the highest published yield of any avocado in India, but it is a release-trial figure for a variety that came out in 2025. For comparison TNAU gives TKD-1 66 kg a tree and ICAR-IIHR gives Arka Supreme 80 to 120 kg.
Is TKD-2 resistant to avocado wilt?
TNAU rates it moderately resistant to fruit borer, shot hole borer and wilt disease. Moderate means some tolerance, not protection. The release note does not name the wilt, so do not assume it covers Phytophthora root rot. ICAR-IIHR advises good drainage and a soil drench of metalaxyl 4% with mancozeb 64% WDG (1 g a litre) plus 0.5% Trichoderma against root rot.
When does TKD-2 fruit?
TNAU gives the season as June to September. It calls TKD-2 a regular bearer with a cluster-bearing habit. We found no first-bearing age. For other avocados ICAR-IIHR says commercial yields start about eight years after planting, so ask the Thadiyankudisai station how early TKD-2 grafts crop.
Should I plant TKD-2 or TKD-1?
TKD-2 has the higher published yield (129.61 against 66 kg a tree), the lighter fruit (270 against about 425 g) and a pest and wilt rating. TKD-1 has a longer record, since 1996 or 1997, and a published fat content of 23.8%, which TKD-2 lacks. For a first block, many farmers would plant mostly TKD-1 with a trial row of TKD-2, then widen it if the trees do well.
Where do I get TKD-2 grafts?
Start with the TNAU Horticultural Research Station, Thadiyankudisai, which released TKD-1 and works on the TKD avocados. We found no public price list or named nursery for TKD-2. Ask in writing where the scion wood came from and the grafting date, and do not buy a plant sold only as TKD without the number.
Sourced from: TNAU — Salient features of crop varieties released, February 2025 (Avocado TKD 2), TNAU — New variety release 2025, press note, 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.