Mango cultivar evaluation program in South Africa.
Lagadec M. D. le, Köhne J. S.
Author Affiliation: Merensky Technological Services, Mariepskop Estate, Private Bag X3001, Hoedspruit, 1380, South Africa.
: 337-342
Abstract : A mango cultivar evaluation programme was established by Merensky Technological Services, South Africa, in the early 1990s. At present, the programme consists of well over 80 mango cultivars and selection from various mango growing regions of the world. The cultivars are evaluated throughout the mango growing season for their performance, i.e. vegetative vigour, susceptibility to pests and diseases, tolerance to sunburn, yield and fruit quality. The harvested fruit are subjected to standard packhouse treatments and are evaluated after 28 days of cold storage in order to simulate long distance shipment of fruit. The most promising cultivars to date have been found to be 'Joa', a South African selection, 'Manzanillo', of Mexican origin, and 'Osteen', from Florida. There are several other new selections that show a lot of promise but need further investigation. 'Heidi', 'Chene', 'Neldica' and several others have proved disappointing over time.