In the past three years Devon Vorderburg has shown top avocado growers in the Americas how they can turn a failing farm into a Profitable High Production Farm through lowering inputs and eliminating Insecticides and Fungicides. Devon has stated “There is always fear and chaos is always involved when growers use a reactive approach of "let’s throw a chemical on it mentality" he explained to Colombian Avocado growers. Devon is an American expert, representing Agri-Organic of Panama, on high-production sustainable agriculture who is highly respected in Colombian Agriculture and had recently spoken to farmers in Antioquia about alternative methods to control disease and insects.
In Orchards across the Americas an unseen battle plays itself out every year. Alternaría – botrytis spore lands on avocado orchards. The fungus inadvertently releases its signature protein, its natural calling card. Foliar receptors on the avocado leaves picks up this calling card and bind to the signature protein, setting off a cascade of biochemical responses. One of the responses is the formation of a flavonoid called stilbene. The function of the stilbene is to block the destructive enzyme. The Botrytis fungus releases to damage the cell walls of the fruit.
Natural defense systems
