Mango (Mangifera indica), the king of fruits, is grown in India for over 400 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 prodution has been increasing since independence, 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.
Climate and soil
Mango can be grown on a wide variety of soils under varied climatic conditions. It can be grown from alluvial to lateritic soils except in black cotton soil having poor drainage. It grows well in soils with slightly acidic pH. It does not perform well in soils having pH beyond 7.5. soils having good drainage are ideal for mango.
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. The temperature between 24 and 27°C is ideal for its cultivation. Higher temperature during fruit development and maturity gives better-quality fruits. The areas experiencing frequent showers and high humidity are prone to many pests and diseases. Thus it can be grown best in regions with a rainfall between 25cm and 250cm. Regions having bright sunny days and moderate humidity during flowering are ideal for mango growing.
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 (Table 1).
Table 1. Commercial mango varieties grown in different states
Andhra Pradesh Banganapalli, Suvarnarekha, Neelum and Totapuri
Bihar Bombay 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, Bombay Green, Dashehari, Fazli, Langra and Neelum
Maharashtra Alphonso, Kesar and Pairi
Punjab Chausa, Dashehari and Malda
Rajasthan Bombay Green, Chausa, Dashehari and Langra
Tamil Nadu Alphonso, Totapuri, Banganapalli and Neelum
Uttar Pradesh Bombay Green, Chausa, Dashehari and Langra
West Bengal Fazli, Gulabkhas, Himsagar, Kishenbhog, Langra and Bombay Green
In India, mango is available from March to mid-August (Table 2). The north Indian cultivars are alternate-bearer whereas south Indian ones are generally regular-bearer. About 20 varieties are grown commercially. They are:
Table 2. State-wise availability of mango in India
State Month
Andhra Pradesh March to mid-August
Bihar May-end to mid-August
Gujarat April to July
Haryana June to August
Himachal Pradesh Mid-June to mid-August
Karnataka May to July
Madhya Pradesh Mid-April to July
Maharashtra April to July
Rajasthan May to July
Tamil Nadu April to August
Uttar Pradesh Mid-May to August
West Bengal May to August
Alphonso
One of the most popular variety of India, it is mainly grown in Ratnagiri area of Maharashtra and to a small extent in 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 colour. It has good sugar : acid blend. Keeping quality is good. It is susceptible to spongy tissue.
Banganapalli
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 350–400g. 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 north 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 flavour, 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 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 ambre-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, 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 colour with red blush. It has good processing quality.
Kishenbhog
Indigenous to West Bengal, it is a mid-season mango. Fruits are medium to large-sized, good with a pleasant flavour. There are traces of turpentine. Flesh is firm with few 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 colour 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 selections/hybrids of mango have been evolved. These include Clone C-51 from Dashehari selected at the CISH, 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.
As a result of systematic hybridization, several hybrids have been released. However only a few have become commercially acceptable. Their parentage and important characteristics are given in Table 3. Of these, Mallika, Ratna and Arka Puneet are becoming quite popular.
Table 3. Mango hybrids and their characters
Hybrid Place of research Parentage Important characters
Mallika IARI, New Delhi Neelum × Dashehari Regular-bearers, high TSS, good colour, uniform fruits, moderate keeping quality
Amrapali IARI, New Delhi Dashehari × Neelum Dwarf, regular-bearers, cluster-bearing, small-sized fruits, good keeping quality
Ratna FRS, Vengurla Neelum × Alphonso Regular-bearers, free from spongy tissue and fibre
Sindhu FRS, Vengurla Ratna × Alphonso Regular-bearer, stone thin
Arka Puneet IIHR, Bangalore Alphonso × Banganapalli Regular-bearer, attractive skin colour, medium-sized, free from spongy tissue. Good keeping quality, good sugar : acid blend
Climate and soil
Mango can be grown on a wide variety of soils under varied climatic conditions. It can be grown from alluvial to lateritic soils except in black cotton soil having poor drainage. It grows well in soils with slightly acidic pH. It does not perform well in soils having pH beyond 7.5. soils having good drainage are ideal for mango.
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. The temperature between 24 and 27°C is ideal for its cultivation. Higher temperature during fruit development and maturity gives better-quality fruits. The areas experiencing frequent showers and high humidity are prone to many pests and diseases. Thus it can be grown best in regions with a rainfall between 25cm and 250cm. Regions having bright sunny days and moderate humidity during flowering are ideal for mango growing.
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 (Table 1).
Table 1. Commercial mango varieties grown in different states
Andhra Pradesh Banganapalli, Suvarnarekha, Neelum and Totapuri
Bihar Bombay 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, Bombay Green, Dashehari, Fazli, Langra and Neelum
Maharashtra Alphonso, Kesar and Pairi
Punjab Chausa, Dashehari and Malda
Rajasthan Bombay Green, Chausa, Dashehari and Langra
Tamil Nadu Alphonso, Totapuri, Banganapalli and Neelum
Uttar Pradesh Bombay Green, Chausa, Dashehari and Langra
West Bengal Fazli, Gulabkhas, Himsagar, Kishenbhog, Langra and Bombay Green
In India, mango is available from March to mid-August (Table 2). The north Indian cultivars are alternate-bearer whereas south Indian ones are generally regular-bearer. About 20 varieties are grown commercially. They are:
Table 2. State-wise availability of mango in India
State Month
Andhra Pradesh March to mid-August
Bihar May-end to mid-August
Gujarat April to July
Haryana June to August
Himachal Pradesh Mid-June to mid-August
Karnataka May to July
Madhya Pradesh Mid-April to July
Maharashtra April to July
Rajasthan May to July
Tamil Nadu April to August
Uttar Pradesh Mid-May to August
West Bengal May to August
Alphonso
One of the most popular variety of India, it is mainly grown in Ratnagiri area of Maharashtra and to a small extent in 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 colour. It has good sugar : acid blend. Keeping quality is good. It is susceptible to spongy tissue.
Banganapalli
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 350–400g. 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 north 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 flavour, 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 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 ambre-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, 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 colour with red blush. It has good processing quality.
Kishenbhog
Indigenous to West Bengal, it is a mid-season mango. Fruits are medium to large-sized, good with a pleasant flavour. There are traces of turpentine. Flesh is firm with few 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 colour 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 selections/hybrids of mango have been evolved. These include Clone C-51 from Dashehari selected at the CISH, 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.
As a result of systematic hybridization, several hybrids have been released. However only a few have become commercially acceptable. Their parentage and important characteristics are given in Table 3. Of these, Mallika, Ratna and Arka Puneet are becoming quite popular.
Table 3. Mango hybrids and their characters
Hybrid Place of research Parentage Important characters
Mallika IARI, New Delhi Neelum × Dashehari Regular-bearers, high TSS, good colour, uniform fruits, moderate keeping quality
Amrapali IARI, New Delhi Dashehari × Neelum Dwarf, regular-bearers, cluster-bearing, small-sized fruits, good keeping quality
Ratna FRS, Vengurla Neelum × Alphonso Regular-bearers, free from spongy tissue and fibre
Sindhu FRS, Vengurla Ratna × Alphonso Regular-bearer, stone thin
Arka Puneet IIHR, Bangalore Alphonso × Banganapalli Regular-bearer, attractive skin colour, medium-sized, free from spongy tissue. Good keeping quality, good sugar : acid blend
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