Mango (Mangifera indica L.) breeding in Brazil: synopsis of a project.
Pinto A. C. de Q., Anjos J. R. N. dos, Andrade S. R. M. de, Faleiro F. G., Cordeiro M. C. R., Dias J. N.
Author Affiliation: Embrapa Cerrados, Km 18 Br 020, PO Box 08223, 73301-970 Planaltina, DF, Brazil.
Proceedings of the Interamerican Society for Tropical Horticulture 47 : 191-194
Abstract : The cultivated area of mango in Brazil is 67.6 thousand hectares with a production of 540 thousand mt [?metric tonnes] and export of 94 thousand mt in 2001. However, Brazilian mango production is highly concentrated (79%) on one cultivar, 'Tommy Atkins'. Although this cultivar has some important characteristics such as high yield, attractive skin and long shelf life, its susceptibility to malformation, high incidence of pulp breakdown and mediocre taste are unacceptable characteristics that should be improved. A breeding programme using intervarietal hybridization was established in 1980 to select superior cultivars for the international market with resistance to floral malformation, manageable size and superior eating quality.