Survey and evaluation of old mango trees in Ishigaki city, Okinawa.
Sakihara K., Ogawa A., Kitajima K., Nakazato N., Kawamitsu Y., Tsukayama H., Kunitake H., Komatsu H.
Proceedings of School of Agriculture, Kyushu Tokai University : 53-60
Abstract : Old mango trees in Ishigaki island, Okinawa, Japan, were surveyed for 3 years from October 1997 to June 1999. A total of 13 trees whose trunk diameter at chest level was over 20 cm were grown own-rooted in the gardens of several private houses. These old trees were supposed to be introduced as seeds or seedlings from Taiwan or Philippines. Among the 13 trees, 2 were aged over 50 and named No.1 and No.2. No.1, the oldest, was 11 m tall with a trunk diameter at chest level of 53 cm. Trees flowered in December, 1-2 months in advance of Irwin, with the exception of No.2 which exhibited ever-flowering. Bunches of No.2 were shorter than in Irwin, with an average number of florets of 700. Fruit set of No.2 was reliable compared with the other trees which tended to drop fruits at an early stage of development. The old trees including No.2 were polyembryonic. The fruits of No.2 seemed disease resistant. They were harvested from April to June. Fruits were 300 g and had light red peel. The flesh of No.2, though a little fibrous, had a sugar content of 11.5 g/100 g FW, and an acid content of 0.25 g/100 g. Quality was comparable with that of Irwin. No.2 could be promising for a practical cultivation or as a gene source for breeding.