This summary was prepared from publications by
Chia, C. L. et. al. and Wanitprapha, K., et. al..
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Mangifera indica L.
ORIGIN: South and Southeast Asia
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Mango trees are deep-rooted, symmetrical evergreens that
attain heights of 90 feet and widths of 80 feet. Mango
trees have simple alternate lanceolate leaves that are 12
to 16 inches in length and yellow-green, purple, or
copper in color when young. Mature leaves are leathery,
glossy, and deep green in color. New leaves arise in
terminal growth flushes that occur several times a year.
Mature terminal branches bear pyramidal flower panicles
that have several hundred white flowers that are about a
1/4 inch wide when open. Most of the flowers function as
males by providing pollen, but some are bisexual and set
fruit. Pollination is by flies, wasps, and bees.
The fruit weighs about 1/4 pound to 3 pounds. Fruit may
be round, ovate, or obovate depending on the variety. The
immature fruit has green skin that gradually turns
yellow, orange, purple, red, or combinations of these
colors as the fruit matures. Mature fruit has a
characteristic fragrance and a smooth, thin, tough skin.
The flesh of ripe mangos is pale yellow to orange. The
flesh is juicy, sweet, and sometimes fibrous. Some
undesirable seedlings or varieties are described as
possessing a turpentine-like off-taste. The fruit has one
seed that is flattened and sticks to the flesh. The seed
contains one or more embryos depending on the variety or
VARIETIES Back To: Menu Bar
Ah Ping, Fairchild,
Keitt, Momi K, Pope,
and Rapoza are recommended mango varieties
for Hawaii. All the listed varieties are productive and
have superior quality fruit. They have less pronounced
alternate-year bearing qualities than the more common
Haden and Pirie varieties. All
these varieties, including Haden and
Pirie, are monoembryonic and do not come true
from seed. Flowering occurs from December to April, but
offseason flowering is common, resulting in variable
harvest times. Fairchild is considered
somewhat resistant to anthracnose and is favored for
Exel is a high quality mango cultivar
developed by the Department of Horticulture, University
of Hawaii. It was selected from an open-pollinated
population of Irwin seedlings. Young
Exel trees begin to bear three to four years
after transplanting into the orchard. Exel
bears fruit regularly, sets well and frequently flowers
during the off season. Fruits usually mature in July and
August but in some years, may mature as late as October.
Exel trees should be planted in sunny, dry
areas to prevent anthracnose damage to immature fruit and
Exel fruits are ovate, 4 to 5.6 inches in
length by 2.8 to 3.6 inches in width, with a short,
rounded beak. The average fruit weight ranges from 14.1
to 17.6 ounces. The penduncle is set at the top of the
fruit. Immature fruits are green with a purple blush.
Mature fruits are yellow with a red over color on about
half of the surface of the fruit. The flesh is firm,
orange-yellow, juicy, sweet, and fiberless. The fruit has
18% total soluble solids. More than 90% of the fruit is
edible flesh, because the fruit has a thin, flat seed.
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Mango can be eaten raw as a dessert fruit or processed to
various products. Ripe fruits can be sliced and canned or
processed to juice, jams, jellies, nectars and preserves.
Eastern and Asian cultures use unripe mangos for pickles,
chutney and relishes. In India, unripe mangos are sliced,
dried, and made into powder for amchoor, a traditional
Indian preparation used for cooking.
In India, flour is made from mango seeds. Seeds are also
eaten during periods of food shortages. The timber is
used for boats, flooring, furniture and other
Raw mango consists of about 81.7% water, 17%
carbohydrate, 0.5% protein, 0.3% fat, and 0.5% ash. A 100
g (3.5 oz) serving of raw mango has 65 calories and about
half the vitamin C found in oranges. Mango contains more
vitamin A than most fruits.
PROPAGATION Back To: Menu Bar
Monoembryonic mango varieties, like the varieties
recommended for Hawaii, have single embryos of hybrid
origin and do not produce true from seed. They are
propagated by grafting onto seedling rootstocks.
Polyembryonic mango varieties, like the so-called common
or Hawaiian mango varieties, produce two or more plants
of nucellar (maternal) origin from each seed. These
plants are predominantly true to type, and may be grown
from seed without the necessity of grafting.
Grafted trees grow more slowly than seedling trees and
are often smaller. Grafted trees usually produce fruit in
3 to 5 years in dry areas, while seedling trees usually
take at least five years to come into bearing. Mango
trees can remain in production for 40 years or more.
Inarching is sometimes done to propagate mango varieties,
and older trees may be topworked. Mangos are not
propagated from cuttings or by air layering because the
resulting trees are weak rooted.
SOIL TYPES and
LOCATION Back To: Menu Bar
Mangos can be grown on a wide range of soil types, from
light sandy loams to red clay soils. Soil pH of 5.5 to
7.5 is preferred. Deep rich soils give the best
production and fruit quality. Well drained soils are
recommended. Moderately sloping sites are also
recommended to prevent waterlogging. Deep soils without
impermeable layers permits the development of deep
taproots that aids in drought tolerance and wind
Mangos will grow from sea level to an elevation of about
1,500 feet in Hawaii, but mangos are most productive
below 1,200 feet. Mango is best adapted to hot, dry
leeward areas that receive less than 60 inches of
rainfall annually, but supplemental irrigation is
desirable for highest yields in those areas. Anthracnose
disease often destroys both flowers and developing fruits
in humid, high-rainfall areas.
Dry weather during the flowering period is best for fruit
production. Wind can damage flowers and reduce yields.
Mango trees should be protected from strong winds, but
windbreaks that shade or compete with them should be
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Transplant container-grown plants promptly, before they
become pot-bound, to permit good root development. Avoid
transplanting plants that are flushing. Treble
superphosphate (0-45-0) fertilizer should be mixed with
the soil in the planting hole, but other fertilizers
should not be applied until after the plants recover from
Mangos are large trees and should be planted 35 to 40
feet apart. For increased early production, an extra tree
may be planted in the center of a 40-foot square to be
removed later. Unfortunately, however, this extra tree is
seldom removed, which leads to overcrowding. Developing
trees should be trained to eliminate low branches less
than 2 feet from the ground, leaving three to four main
branches on the trunk at different heights. The few
fruits set in a tree's first years of fruiting should be
removed to speed up tree development. Pruning of
well-formed older trees is usually confined to removal of
dead branches. Pruning is preferably done after fruiting,
before a growth flush occurs. Pruning can also be done to
restrict tree size for small yards or when more than 35
trees per acre are planted. Some delay in flowering can
be expected from new growth produced in response to
Young mango trees should not lack water. If rainfall is
limited, irrigation water should be applied about once
every two weeks during the first year, every three weeks
during the second year, and once a month thereafter.
Mature trees are more productive if irrigation water is
withheld for at least two months before flowering.
Although hot, dry weather is favorable to fruit
development, supplementary irrigation between flowering
and harvest is advisable for good yields.
Fertilizer may be a 1:1:1 or 1:2:2 N-P-K ratio
formulation, such as 16-16-16 or 10-20-20 N-P-K. During
tree establishment, phosphorus (P) is important for root
development. Nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) are needed by
bearing trees for good yields. Young trees should receive
0.1 to 0.2 pound of N (e.g., 1 to 2 pounds of 10-20-20
fertilizer) per year during the first year and 0.15 to
0.3 pound of N (e.g., 1.5 to 3 pounds of 10-20-20) during
years two and three. The total annual amount of
fertilizer should be divided into three or four
applications, preferably applied before growth flushes
In general, bearing mango trees should receive about 1
pound of a complete fertilizer (containing N, P, and K)
annually for each inch of trunk diameter measured 4 to 5
feet above ground level. Half of the fertilizer should be
applied just before flowering and the rest applied after
the crop is harvested. Supplemental N should be applied
just before flowering rather than during fall and winter,
when vegetative growth flushes rather than flowering
occur. Slow-release fertilizer formulations are
preferred, except for supplemental N applications, which
should have rapid release. Fertilizers should be spread
in a zone directly beneath the leaf drip line and, if
possible, application should be followed by irrigation.
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See Cultural Practices
POSTHARVEST Back To: Menu Bar
Mango trees may remain in production for 40 years or
more. Fruits are usually picked after they develop some
red, orange, or yellow color. Mangos will ripen and may
be picked when the flesh inside has turned yellow,
regardless of exterior color. The harvest season is
usually between June and September in Hawaii, depending
on variety. Fruit matures three to five months after
Mangos should be picked before they are fully ripe, at
which time they soften and fall. The fruit bruises easily
and must be handled carefully to avoid damage. They are
ripened at room temperature and then refrigerated. Mature
mangos keep fairly well under refrigeration for two to
three weeks at 50 to 55°F
DISEASES Back To: Menu Bar
Anthracnose, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (flowers,
Stem-end rot (fruits)
Sooty mold (leaves and fruits)
Powdery mildew, Oidium mungiferae (flowers, leaves, young
Tip burn (leaves; associated with potassium deficiency,
INSECTS Back To: Menu Bar
Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata
Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis
Mango weevil, Cryptorhynchus mangiferae
Scales, including Ceroplastes rubens, Pseudaulacaspis
Red-banded thrips, Selenothrips rubrocinctus
Mango blossom midge, Dasineura mangiferae
Southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula
Mango shoot caterpillar, Penicellaria jocosatrix
Black twig borer, Xylosandrus cornpactus
PRODUCTION Back To: Menu Bar
India is the world's largest producer of mangoes. It has
been estimated that there are over 1000 commercial
varieties in India, where mangos are often called the
"king of fruits".
According to FAO estimates, world mango production was
33.1 billion lb in 1989. India produced 63% of the total
production. Other major producers were Mexico, Pakistan,
China, Indonesia, Brazil and the Philippines.
Mangos are available year-round in various import
markets. Countries such as Brazil, Peru and Venezuela are
major suppliers during winter while Mexico, Haiti, India
and the Philippines are major suppliers during the spring
and summer seasons.
Mangos are consumed primarily in the producing countries.
However, mango imports in European and North American
markets have increased ten-fold since 1975. Demand has
also steadily increased in other areas, such as the
Middle East and Japan.
Florida is the main producer of mangos in the United
States. In 1990, 2800 ac of mangos were planted in
Florida, of which 2500 ac were harvested. The farm value
of the 19.2 million lb produced was $4.7 million. Mangos
are also produced in Hawaii and Southern California.
In one decade, US imports of fresh mangos increased from
42.4 million lb in 1981 to 139.8 million lb in 1990.
In 1990, the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of
fresh mangos imported to the US was $65.2 million. Mexico
was the largest supplier, accounting for 86.3% of the
volume imported, followed by Haiti (13.2%). Sixty-one
percent of the fresh mango imports entered the US between
June and August in 1990.
The US also imported various processed mango products at
a CIF value (including guava and mangosteen) of $11.8
million in 1990. Mexico supplied about 42% of the mangos,
prepared or preserved. Brazil and the Philippines
together supplied more than 52% of the mango and guava
pastes and purees, cooked.
American consumers seem to prefer mangos with strong red
color. Color can be increased by treating mangos with
ethylene in banana ripening rooms.
In 1990, the US exported 15.8 million lb of mangos,
guavas and mangosteens at an FAS (free alongside ship)
value of $12.2 million. The Netherlands (49% of the
quantity exported), Canada (27%) and the United Kingdom (
20%) were the major destinations.
Mangos are popular as a backyard tree in Hawaii. For
commercial production, it was estimated that there were
15 bearing acres of mango trees in 1989 and an additional
15 nonbearing acres. The bearing acres are on Maui (6
acres), Kauai (6 acres) and Oahu (3 acres).
Honolulu is the major market for mangos in Hawaii. In
1989, Honolulu arrivals of fresh mangos amounted to
42,000 lb, 79% of which came from Oahu. The other 21%
were from Kauai and Maui. Most of the supply arrived in
Honolulu from July to October. The supply of mangos
available is even larger when backyard production is
In 1991, there were 40 farms that produced mango for
commercial sale. On these farms, there were 2,750 trees
on 65 acres of land. There were 810 trees that produced
63,900 pounds of mangos that sold for 73 cents per pound.
The total value of sales for mango in 1991 was $46,600.
Fresh mangos from Hawaii are not permitted in the US
mainland, Japan and various other countries due to
quarantine restrictions related to fruit flies and mango
REFERENCES Back To: Menu Bar
Chia, C.L., R.A. Hamilton and D.O. Evans. 1988. Mango.
Commodity Fact Sheet MAN-3(A). Hawaii Cooperative
Extension Service, CTAHR, University of Hawaii.
Neal, Marie C. In Gardens of Hawaii. Hawaii: Bishop
Museum Press, 1965.
Wanitprapha, Kulavit, Kevin M. Yokoyama, Stuart T.
Nakamoto and C.L. Chia. 1991. Mango Economic Fact Sheet
#16. Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics,
CTAHR, University of Hawaii.
Statistic of Hawaiian Agriculture 1991. Prepared by:
Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service, P.O. Box 22159,
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96823-2159. December 1992. 105 pages.