Significant differences in vegetative growth of Mayagüezano mango cultivars.
Vélez Colón R., Flores Ortega C., Henríquez S. A., Cedeño Maldonado A.
Author Affiliation: University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez - Agricultural Experiment Station, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
Proceedings of the Interamerican Society for Tropical Horticulture 50 : 120-124
Abstract : Mayagüezano mango is produced mostly for local consumption, processing, and recently, after the establishment of a hot water facility in Rincón, for fresh fruit export to the United States. Its production is different from that of selected varieties originally from Florida. There are commercial orchards of those, while Mayagüezano mangos are produced by trees growing alongside roads or in pasturelands. The Mayagüezano mango has been a neglected fruit in Puerto Rico, and no research has been conducted on selection and evaluation of germplasm. This fruit is used as fresh fruit, green fruit (exported to ethnic markets in the US, such as Southeast Asians), for preserves and as fillings for mango rolls (brazo gitano). Production is concentrated between the western municipalities of Aguada and Lajas. Germplasm was evaluated by sampling fruits from existing trees. They were collected at the green ripe and ripe stages and sent to the Food Science and Technology Laboratory for appropriate analyses. Germplasm with superior characteristics was then selected for asexual propagation in 2001 through grafting on Banilejo stock. The new, grafted trees were field planted. The experimental design consisted of six replications, each consisting of four trees of each cultivar. The cultivars were Banilejo III, Banilejo IV, La Finca, Cedeño, Chico Dulce, La Curva, Koko Rosado, Juan Pérez, El Loco, Alvaro, Carmelita and Villa Flor.