A new avocado variety that is the result of decades of painstaking tree breeding by UC Riverside agricultural scientists has been selected as one of TIME's 2023 Best Inventions, the international news outlet announced Tuesday, Oct. 24.

Driving the news: After a half-century of breeding and development, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) has released the Luna UCR (to use its trademarked name).

How many fruit will a mature tree produce in one year? It is possible for an avocado tree to produce 200 to 300 fruit per tree once it is about 5-7 years of age. The avocado tree, however, alternates bearing. This means that the tree may produce a large crop one year, and then produce a small crop the following year.

The UCR Rootstock Breeding Program is one of the few well-recognized rootstock breeding programs worldwide and has been historically funded by the California industry through the California Avocado Commission.