Varieties

Fig. 60: The tiny, colorful 'Azucar' mango of Santa Marta and Baranquilla, Colombia, is sweet and freestone.

The original wild mangos were small fruits with scant, fibrous flesh, and it is believed that natural hybridization has taken place between M. indica and M. sylvatica Roxb. in Southeast Asia. Selection for higher quality has been carried on for 4,000 to 6,000 years and vegetative propagation for 400 years.

Over 500 named varieties (some say 1,000) have evolved and have been described in India. Perhaps some are duplicates by different names, but at least 350 are propagated in commercial nurseries. In 1949, K.C. Naik described 82 varieties grown in South India. L.B. and R.N. Singh presented and illustrated 150 in their monograph on the mangos of Uttar Pradesh (1956). In 1958, 24 were described as among the important commercial types in India as a whole, though in the various climatic zones other cultivars may be prominent locally. Of the 24, the majority are classed as early or mid-season:

Early:

'Bombay Yellow' ('Bombai')–high quality

'Malda' ('Bombay Green')

'01our' (polyembryonic)–a heavy bearer.

'Pairi' ('Paheri', 'Pirie', 'Peter', 'Nadusalai', 'grape', 'Raspuri', 'Goha bunder')

'Safdar Pasand'

'Suvarnarekha' ('Sundri')

Early to Mid-Season:

'Langra'

'Rajapuri'

Mid-Season:

'Alampur Baneshan'–high quality but shy bearer

'Alphonso' ('Badami', 'gundu', 'appas', 'khader')–high quality

'Bangalora'('Totapuri', 'collection', 'kili-mukku', abu Samada' in the Sudan)–of highest quality, best keeping, regular bearer, but most susceptible to seed weevil.

'Banganapally' ('Baneshan', 'chaptai', 'Safeda')–of high quality but shy bearer

'Dusehri' ('Dashehari aman', 'nirali aman', 'kamyab')–high quality

'Gulab Khas'

'Zardalu'

'K.O. 11'

Mid- to Late-Season:

'Rumani' (often bearing an off-season crop)

'Samarbehist' ('Chowsa', 'Chausa', 'Khajri')–high quality

'Vanraj'

'K.O. 7/5' ('Himayuddin' ´ 'Neelum')

Late:

'Fazli' ('Fazli malda')–high quality

'Safeda Lucknow