MANGO - Tropical Fruits - page 254

the blossoms and fruit (Singh, 1960). Indian traders and Buddhist priests
probably introduced the mango into Malaysia and other east Asian countries
during the 4th or 5th century BC and to the Philippines between AD 1400
and 1450. The Portuguese, the fi rst Europeans to establish trade routes
with India, transported the mango to East Africa and Brazil. Spanish traders
took the mango from the Philippines to the west coast of Mexico before the
English arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1778. The mango was introduced
into Hawaii from the west coast of Mexico between 1800 and 1820, with
credit being given to Don Francisco de Paula Marín, a Spanish horticulturist.
Apparently, the Brazilian introductions were spread to Barbados and to other
islands in the Caribbean area. Mango is now found in all tropical areas, as
well as many subtropical regions of the world, attesting to its wide range of
adaptability.
ECOLOGY
Soil
The tree is not exacting with regard to soil, although fl at alluvial soils with
pH 5.5-7 and a soil depth of at least 1 m are preferred. Freely drained oxisol
soils, such as the deep volcanic soils in Java and the Philippines, are favoured.
It can grow in 40 cm-deep soils in Florida (Malo, 1972), 75 cm in South
Africa (Mostert and Abercrombie, 1998) or 80 cm in the Canary Islands
(Galán Saúco, 2009). A hard layer or hardpan in the soil profi le can limit
root penetration and needs to be broken by subsoiling. In fertile soil, minimal
nutritional problems can be expected. Exchangeable aluminium, which
can be toxic, should be less than 30 ppm, and the tree is sensitive to saline
conditions. Calcareous soil with a high pH and salinity problems limit mango
development, although in Israel, mango is grown in very sandy soils, as well as
in calcareous soils (>38% CaCO 3 ) with a pH close to 9 (Whiley and Schaf er,
1997). Suitable rootstocks have been selected and used in areas where these
soil types exist, as well as in saline soils.
Climate
Rainfall
Mangoes are very drought-tolerant with a deep root system, which enables it
to capture water and nutrients from deep in the soil profi le. The tolerance of
drought is also associated with the leaves and their latiferous cells remaining
turgid through an internal osmotic adjustment (Schaf er et al. , 1994). The tree
can withstand occasional fl ooding and it is seen growing and producing fruit
on the banks between fl ooded rice paddies. Good rainfall distribution is crucial