Mango, the king of fruits

 Mango, the king of fruits....

Mango, the king of fruits, is grown in India for over 4000 years.  More than 1,000 varieties exist today.  It is grown in almost all the states.  India shares about 56% of total mango production in the world.  Its production has been increasing since independence in 1947, contributing 39.5% of the total fruit production of India.  Andhra Pradesh tops in total production, whereas Uttar Pradesh tops area wise.  Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Gujarat together contribute for about 82% of the total production in India.

             Mango is a tropical fruit, but it can be grown up to 1,100m above mean sea level.  There should not be high humidity, rain or frost during flowering.  

Varieties

 India is the home of about 1,000 varieties.  Most of them are the result of open pollination arisen as chance seedlings.  However, only a few varieties are commercially cultivated throughout India.

 Commercial mango varieties grown in different Indian states

Andhra Pradesh	Banganapalli, Suvarnarekha, Neelum and Totapuri
Bihar	Bombey Green, Chausa, Dashehari, Fazli, Gulabkhas, Kishen Bhog, Himsagar, Zardalu  and Langra
Gujarat	Kesar, Alphonso, Rajapuri, Jamadar, Totapuri, Neelum, Dashehari and Langra
Haryana	Chausa, Dashehari, Langra and Fazli
Himachal Pradesh	Chausa, Dashehari and Langra
Karnataka	Alphonso, Totapuri, Banganapalli Pairi,
	Neelum and Mulgoa
Madhya Pradesh
	Alphonso, Bombey Green, Dashehari, Fazli,
Maharashtra	Langra and Neelum
Punjab	Alphonso, Kesar and Pairi
Rajasthan	Chausa, Dashehari and Malda
Tamil Nadu	Bombey Green, Chausa, Dashehari and Langra
Utter Pradesh	Alphonso, Totapuri, Banganapalli and Neelum, Bombey Green, Chausa, Dashehari and Langra
West Bengal	Fazli, Gulabkhas, Himasagar, Kishenbhog, Langra and Bombey Green

In India, mango is available from March to mid-August.  The north Indian cultivars are alternate- bearer whereas south Indian ones are generally regular bearer.  About 20 varieties are grown commercially.  They are:

 Alphonso

            One of the most popular of India, it is mainly grown in Ratnagiri area of Maharashtra and to a small extent parts of south Gujarat and Karnataka.  Its fruits are medium sized (250g), with attractive blush towards the basal end.  Pulp is firm, fibreless with excellent orange color.  It has good sugar: acid blend.  Keeping quality is good.  It is susceptible to spongy tissue.

 Banganapalli

             It is a widely cultivated, early maturing mango of south India.  It is the main commercial variety of Andhra Pradesh.  Its fruits are large sized, weighing on an average 350-400 g.  The pulp is fibreless, firm and yellow with sweet taste.  Fruits have good keeping quality. 

Bombay Green

             It is one of the earliest varieties of north India.  Its fruits are medium- sized, weighing about 250g each.  Fruits have strong and pleasant flavour.  Pulp is soft and sweet.

 Chausa

             Late- maturing variety of south India, it matures during July or beginning of August.  Fruits are large, weighing about 350g each.  Fruits are bright yellow with soft and sweet pulp.  It is shy bearing. 

Dashehari

            One of the most popular variety of north India, it is a mid-season mango.  Fruits are medium sized, with pleasant flavor, sweet, firm and fibreless pulp.  Stone is thin and keeping quality good. 

 Fazli

           This is indigenous to Bihar and West Bengal.  Fazli is a late maturing (August) mango. Fruits are large, with firm to soft flesh.  Flavour is pleasant and pulp and pulp is sweet and fibreless.  Keeping quality is good.

 Gulab Khas

             It is indigenous to Bihar.  Regular and heavy bearer, it is mid-season mango. Fruits are small to medium- sized.  It has rosy flavour.  Fruits are amber yellow with reddish blush towards the base and on sides.  Keeping quality is good.

 Himsagar

             Very popular in West Bengal, it is a regular-bearing mango.  Its fruits are medium-sized, having good quality.  Flesh is firm, yellow, and fibreless with pleasant flavour.  Keeping quality is good. 

  Kesar

            Popular in Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Kesar is an irregular bearing mango.  Fruits are medium sized.  Flesh is sweet and fibreless.  It has excellent sugar: acid blend.  Fruits ripen to attractive apricot yellow color with red blush.  It has good processing quality. 

Kishenbhog

             Indigenous to West Bengal, it is mid-season mango.  Fruits are medium to large sized, good with a pleasant flavour.  There are traces of turpentine.  Flesh is firm with fibres.  Keeping quality is good. 

 Langra

             An important commercial mango variety of north India, it is biennial- bearer and a mid-season variety, with good quality fruits.  Flesh is firm, lemon yellow in color and scarcely fibrous.  It has characteristic turpentine flavour.  Keeping quality is medium. 

 Mankurad

            It is a mid-season variety, popular in Goa.  Fruits are medium sized with yellow skin.  Flesh is firm, cadmium yellow and fibreless.  Keeping quality is good. 

 Neelum

             A heavy yielding, late season mango in south India, it has regular bearing habit.  Fruits are medium sized with good flavour.  Flesh is soft, yellow and fibreless.  Keeping quality is good.

  Pairi

             A native to coastal Maharashtra including Goa, it is an early-maturing, heavy and regular bearer mango.  Fruits are medium sized with good quality.  It has good flavour with sugar: acid blend.  Flesh is soft, primuline-yellow and fibreless.  Keeping quality is poor. 

 Totapuri

             Widely grown in south India, Totapuri is a regular and heavy bearing mango.  Fruits are medium to large with prominent sinus.  Fruit quality is medium.  It has a typical flavour and flat taste.  Flesh is cadmium yellow and fibreless. 

        A number of selection / hybrids of mango have been evolved.  These include Clone C-51 from Dashehari selected at the ICAR Mango Research Station, Lucknow, and an off season selection, Niranjan, selected at Parbhani. New clonal selections from Langra and Sunderja have been made at Varanasi and Rewa.  A clonal selection, Paiyur 1, has been made from Neelum, in addition to few dwarf polyembryonic selections made in the north-eastern region.