Genetic Diversity of Tropical Fruit - Fruit Ripening: Physiology, Signalling and Genomics - page 228

the unripe fruit. The fl esh is yellow/orange
in colour, sometimes astringent (turpentine-
like) and can have fi bres extending from the
endocarp (stone). Several mango varieties
have been evaluated for fruit morphology,
colour, early and late maturity, shelf-life
and several other economic characters
(Table 13.2). Studies of the surface
morphology and anatomy of mango fruit
indicated that the fruit surface for varieties
like Langra and Ram Kela is more resistant
to the diffusion of gases and moisture,
mainly due to a low density of lenticels,
while varieties like Amrapali and
Dusheheri show a higher density of
lenticels on the surface of fruits and thereby
a lesser degree of diffusion resistance (Paul
et al. , 2007). The predominant role of
lenticels in controlling the respiration and
transpiration by determining the exchange
of gases and loss of moisture, respectively,
during the development of fruit as well as
ripening is well documented (Khader et al. ,
1992).

from north-eastern India to eastwards
through the Malay Archipelago and south
to Australia. Sweet oranges probably arose
in India, the trifoliate orange and
mandarin in China, and acid citrus types
in Malaysia. Oranges and pummelos were
mentioned in Chinese literature in 2400
BC , and later in Sanskrit writings (800 BC )
lemons were mentioned. Citrus is the third
most important fruit crop of India, with an
estimated production of 9.63 million t
from an area of 0.98 million ha. Mandarin
( Citrus reticulata Blanco), sweet orange
( Citrus sinensis Osbeck), acid lime ( Citrus
aurantiifolia (Christm.) Swingle) and
lemon ( Citrus limon Burn. f.) are the major
cultivated species of the country. Other
species that are cultivated to a lesser
extent include seedless lime ( Citrus
latifolia Tan.), pummelo ( Citrus grandis
Osbeck), grapefruit ( Citrus paradisi Macf.)
and belladikithuli ( Citrus maderaspatana
Tan.) . Citrus fruits have been put to
numerous uses although primarily they are
eaten fresh or prepared into juice
concentrate. The pulp and seed are used
for cattle feed and molasses and also for
fl avouring and for the production of
pharmaceuticals, soaps and perfumes.
Fermented orange juice produces vinegar
and alcohol. Some species are known to
have properties of curing fever and colic
(Solley, 1997). A number of species are
grown for ornamental fruits and fl owers.

13.3.3 Citrus spp. (family Rutaceae)

Two systems of classifi cation exist for the
genus Citrus . One is that given by Walter
T. Swingle, a USDA scientist who did
much of his work in Florida, and the
second by Tyosaburo Tanaka of Japan. The
centre of diversity for citrus fruits ranges

Table 13.2. Sources of desirable characteristics in mango. Modifi ed from Karihaloo et al . (2005).

Characters Cultivars

Dwarfness 'Creeping', 'Latra', 'Kerala Dwarf', 'Rumani', 'Neelum'

Precocious, dwarf 'MDCH-1' and 'Manipur Dwarf'

Big fruit size 'Baganpalli', 'Kensington', 'Fazli'

Red peel colour 'Janardan Pasand', 'Suvarnarekha', 'Vanraj', 'Tommy Atkins', 'Sensation'

High pulp content 'Langra', 'Dashehari', 'Pairi', 'Mallika', 'Fazli'

High total soluble solids
content

'Sahib Pasand', 'Dashehari', 'Langra', 'Mallika', 'Lazzat Baksh', 'Amarpalli',
'Sakkar China'

Long shelf life 'Alphonso', 'Totapuri', 'Sunderja', 'Bangapalli', 'Kesar', 'Rataul'

Regular bearing 'Neelum', 'Kalapadi', 'Totapuri'

Early maturity 'Gaurjeet', 'Zardalu', 'Lazzat Baksh', 'Guruvarm', 'Chandrakaran',

'Panakalu'

Late maturity 'Kaitki', 'Bathui', 'Fazli', 'Neelum', 'Chausa', 'Sora'

Processing (pulp/juice/nectar) 'Alphonso', 'Totapari', 'Rani Pasand', 'Sahib Pasand', 'Padri', 'Banganpalli'