Varieties of Mango

Alphonso
Alphonso mango is a
seasonal fruit,
considered to be among
the most superior
varieties of the fruit in
terms of sweetness,
richness and flavor. The
variety is named
after Afonso de
Albuquerque, a
Portuguese general and
military expert who
helped establish Portuguese colonies in India. The Portuguese
introduced grafting on mango trees to produce extraordinary varieties like
Alphonso. The fruit was then introduced to the Konkan region
in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and some parts of southern states of Tamil
Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.This variety is medium in size, ovate oblique in shape
and orange yellow in color. The pulp is yellow to orange in color. It is soft, firm
and fibreless. It is a mid-season variety.
Dashehari
Dasheri, originated in Dasheri village
near Kakori in Lucknow district in 18th century, is a
sweet and fragrant variety of mango grown in
different parts of North India and southern state
of Andhra
Pradesh, Nepal and Pakistan. Malihabad in Uttar
Pradesh is the largest producer of the Dasheri
mango. Fruit size is medium, shape is oblong to oblong-oblique and fruit colour is
yellow. The pulp is firm and fibreless and a mid-season variety.

Himsagar
Himsagar is an extremely popular mango
cultivar, originating from West
Bengal in India and Rajshahi in Bangladesh.
It is considered to be the most superior of all
mango cultivars in the world in terms of taste
and aroma. It has a sweet aroma and is
musky sweet in taste. The fruit is medium-
sized and weighs between 250 and 350
grams, out of which the pulp content is
around 77%.

Langra
The Langra, also known as , is
a mango cultivar primarily grown in Banaras,
Northern India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This
cultivar retains a greenish tinge while
ripening. Fruit is of medium size, ovate shape
and lettuce green in colour.The lemon-yellow
flesh is juicy and flavourful. It is scarcely
fibrous, a mid season variety.
 Harvesting and Post
Harvesting

Harvesting

Mangos marketed are usually

picked at the mature green
stage to withstand postharvest
handling practices. Mangos are
picked by hand or by using a
long picking pole which has a
canvas or nylon bag attached
near a cutting blade to catch
the fruit. Ladders and hydraulic
lifts are also used to help
pickers reach fruit high in the
tree canopy. Mango fruits are
usually picked before they are fully ripe with the stem intact and after they
develop red, orange, or yellow color. The long stem assures that the internal
latex, or juice, does not leak. The fruit are stored stem end down on racks to
further prevent latex from dripping on other fruit. The fruit bruises easily and
must be handled carefully to avoid damage.
Post Harvesting
Grading
Fruits are graded according to their size, weight, colour and maturity, both the
producer and consumer are benefited. It has been observed that bigger size fruits
take 2-4 days more time in ripening than smaller ones. Hence, packaging of
smaller fruits with larger ones should be avoided to achieve uniform ripening.
Immature, overripe, damaged and diseased fruits should be discarded. The export
quality mangoes are categorised into three grades according to the fruit weight
viz., Category-I (200-250 g), Category-II (251-300 g) and Category-III (300-350 g)

Packaging
Usually, fruits are placed in layers one above
the other, with a straw padding in-between.
Temperatures between 19-21°C during
ripening improve the quality of fruits. Wooden
boxes are commonly used for packaging and
transportation of mango fruits. Paper scraps,
newspapers, etc., are commonly used as
cushioning material for the packaging of fruits
which prevent them from getting bruised and spoiled during storage and
transportation.

Storage
Storage is essential for extending the consumption period of fruits, regulating
their supply to the market and also for transportation to long distances. The
mature green fruits can be kept at room temperature for about-4-10 days
depending upon the variety. For exports, the harvested fruits are pre-cooled to
10-12°C and then stored at an appropriate temperature. The fruits of Dashehari,
Mallika and Amrapali should be stored at 12°C, Langra at 14°C and Chausa at 8°C
with 85-90% relative humidity. The fruits could be stored for 3-4 weeks in good
condition at low temperature. Controlled atmosphere (CO 3-4 % and O 4-5%)
storage of Alphonso mango, under a continuous flow 2 2 0 system held at 13-15 C
indicated that Alphonso could be kept for 30 days with a post storage ripening
period of 4 to 5 days.