Mango: The King of Fruits

Plant Characteristics

Mango trees are very large, majestic, and evergreen fruit trees. Their distinguishing characteristics allow them to be identified even out of fruiting seasons.

• Lifecycle: Mangoes are evergreen trees that grow for centuries, as they are perennial.
• Height: An adult mango tree reaches a height of between 30 and 100 feet (9 and 30 m), having a thick and rounded shape.
• Leaves: Grassy, long, narrow, and lance-shaped with a leathery texture and shiny dark green at the end, usually reddish when fresh.
• Flowers: Little aromatic flowers of a yellowish-white color are stuffed collectively into clusters known as panicles. Even when thousands of flowers are in full bloom, scarcely one flower in a hundred gets a fruit.
• Fruit: Mangoes are drupes (stone fruits), and the fleshy, aromatic pulp encapsulates a huge seed. They are different in size, ranging from small fruits about the size of an egg to long, strong-fibered fruits, which weigh more than 2 pounds (1 kg).
• Blooming Season: Mangoes typically bloom in spring, with fruits ripening from late summer to early fall, depending on the cultivar and location.

Uses

Mangoes have been hailed as a versatile fruit. The fruit, along with the tree, has gastronomic, healing, and cultural connotations.

• Ripe Mangoes: They are good to eat fresh, used for smoothies or juices, or as desserts.
• Unripe Mangoes are made into pickles, chutneys, curries, and refreshing beverages.
• Byproducts: Dried mango, jams, candies, and powders.
• Medicinal Benefits: Ayurvedic and folk medicine have long been used in the treatment of digestion, immunity, and skin health.
• Timber & Leaves: Mango is good timber to make furniture out of, and the leaves are used in rituals and decor.

Growing Conditions

The production of mangoes blossoms well in tropical and subtropical conditions. Health growth is of the essence in proper site selection.

• Soil: Prefers deep, well-drained sand loam, slightly acid (5.5 -7.5) to a neutral pH is preferred. Do not use waterlogged soils.
• Watering: Requires regular watering during establishment, but tolerates drought once mature. Overwatering can cause root rot.
• Light: The plants require full sunlight (at least 6-8 hours per day).
• Temperature: Optimum between 77°F to 95°F (25°C–35°C). Mangoes have extreme sensitivity to frost and long cold.
• Spacing: Spacing of trees should be set up by planting the trees at least 25-30 feet apart to enable expansion of the crown.

Seed Morphology

The mango seeds are giant, oval-shaped, and have a rough, fibrous cover. They have different sizes and shapes based on cultivars.

• Size: Their seeds are typically between 4 and 7 inches (10 and 18 cm), and are therefore among the largest seeds of typical fruits.
• Color: Dried dull cream to brown.
• Shape: Flattened, oval, and fibrous in shape with one embryo (monoembryonic) or with many embryos (polyembryonic).
• Surface Texture: Woody & ridged Hanna Seed inside.

Germination Requirements

Mango seeds are recalcitrant- that is, they cannot be dried and must be sown fresh.

• Temperature: These seeds germinate best at  77°F–86°F (25°C–30°C).
• Watering: One should not allow the soil to become waterlogged.
• Light: Seeds grow in drizzle light; they do not need direct sun during initial sprouting.
• Soil: Sand mulch and loose soil help the proper growth of the roots.
• Germination Period: This varies based on the cultivar and on particular conditions but ranges between 2 and 4 weeks.

Seed Viability and Vigor

Unlike most garden seeds, mango seed dies, which show a short lifespan if they are not immediately planted.

• Viability Period: The seeds can only survive 3-4 weeks after being extracted from the fruit.
• Germination Rate: The personal fresh seeds have a germination percentage of 80-95 percent. Old seeds do not last long.

Vigor Testing: Test screens help to eliminate weak seeds pre-planting by visually inspecting mold, drying, and damage.

Propagation and Sowing

Mango is propagated by seed and vegetatively, but grafting is mostly used to produce quality fruits.

Seed Propagation

• The freshly extracted seeds need to be sown onto a plate at once
• Plant 12 inches deep in moist, sandy soil with the convex side upwards.
• Idealized for work in rootstock development, but less likely to produce fruit that will be true-to-type.

Vegetative Propagation

• Grafting: The best method that will guarantee the desirable traits of the parent cultivar. 
• Budding & Veneer Grafting: It's super for commercially established orchards.
• Air Layering (Marcottage): It is sometimes used in home gardening.

Spacing: For orchards, maintain 25–30 feet (7.5–9 m) spacing; for dwarf varieties, 10–15 feet (3–4.5 m).

Disease and Pest Resistance

Mangoes are hardy, but susceptible to many pests and diseases. Orchard management should be perfect.

• Mango fruit flies attack fruits when they are ripe.
• Mealybugs and scale insects ruin leaves and shoots.
• Aphids are sap sucking insects that weaken plants.
• Powdery Mildew: A milky coating on the flower/leaf; controlled with the use of sulfur sprays.
• Anthracnose: A Fungal infection that results in the development of black patches on the fruit and foliage; fungicides based on copper are efficient.
• Sooty Mold: Comes up on aphid secretions of pests such as honeydew.

Preventive Measures: Through pruning, orchard cleanliness, biological management, and resistant varieties, the incidence is lessened.

Storage and Handling

Healthy and fresh fruits and mango seeds should be well handled.

• Seeds: They should be sown immediately, as germination is low when seeds are stored for more than 121 weeks. Stored in a moist breathable fabric if needed.
• Fruits: Pick them when they are fully grown, though not ripened. Ripen at room temperature (68–75°F / 20–24°C).
• Cold Storage: Mangoes may be stored in 50–55°F (10–13°C), which lasts up to 2-3 weeks. Chilling injury can be brought on by low temperatures.
• Post-Harvest Handling: Fruits should be washed, fungicides should be applied in case of any need, and they should be packed in ventilated boxes so as to prevent bruising in the fruits.

Summary

The mango, with its delicious taste, cultural significance, and health qualities, definitely deserves its nickname,  “King of Fruits.” It thrives on warmth, sunlight, and well-drained soil, and its seeds must be planted rapidly or the seeds will not germinate successfully. Mango trees are resistant to pests and fungal diseases, although susceptible to root rot, and are some of the most resilient of tropical fruit trees, giving decades, and even centuries of crops to growers.