Production locality affects mango fruit quality

Abstract

Differences in mango (cv. Kensington Pride) fruit quality under commercial and research conditions have been frequently noted. To assess the potential for production conditions to influence fruit quality, "Kensington Pride" mango fruit were obtained from 2 adjacent sites on an orchard on shallow nodular yellow podsolic soil in tropical North Queensland, 1 block of trees growing on soil with river gravel (site 1) and another without gravel (site 2). Fruit were also obtained from trees on a gleyed podsolic soil (site 3) in subtropical south-east Queensland. Fruit were harvested weekly for 4 weeks, with quality determined after ripening at 22°C and after storage at 10°C for 4 weeks. Eating quality and percentage dry matter increased, while days to eating soft decreased with later harvests. Fruit from site 3 (cooler growing conditions, rain during the harvest period) had acceptable eating quality at a lower dry matter than fruit from sites 1 and 2. The percentage of green colour on the skin (GS) at ripe was higher at harvest 2 in fruit from sites 1 and 2, but was lower at harvest 4 in fruit from all sites. Disease severity in fruit ripened without storage was higher in site 3 fruit, while body rots (caused mainly by Colletotrichum spp.) increased (site 3 only) and stem end rots (caused mainly by Dothiorella spp.) decreased with later harvests. Fruit firmness and GS decreased during storage at 10°C, but fruit from site 3 were generally softer, with higher GS, than those from the other sites. Chilling injury was also higher in fruit from site 3.