Spatial Proximity of ‘Ataulfo’ to ‘Haden’ Cultivar Increases Mango Yield and Decreases Incidence of Nubbins

Rodrigo Lucas-García,José Gabriel Kuk-Dzul,Víctor Rosas-Guerrero,Juan Violante-González,Lorena Alemán-Figueroa,R. Carlos Almazán-Núñez

doi:10.3390/agronomy11030450

Rodrigo Lucas-García, José Gabriel Kuk-Dzul + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11030450

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Abstract

Mexico is the leading exporter of mangos worldwide, and ‘Ataulfo’ is one of the most popular cultivars. However, their production has dramatically dropped in recent years due to the high incidence of nubbins. One of the possible causes is the presence of a delayed self-incompatibility found in this cultivar; thus, proximity to compatible cultivars may help to reduce this incidence. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies that have rigorously tested this hypothesis in this cultivar. For two consecutive years, the present study evaluated the incidence of nubbins, as well as the quality and quantity of commercial fruits of ‘Ataulfo’ trees located at 10, 30, and 50 m away from ‘Haden’ cultivar. Additionally, the yield and economic income of different planting designs were estimated. During both sampling periods, our results clearly indicated that at 10 m away from ‘Haden’ individuals, ‘Ataulfo’ trees presented a lower incidence of nubbins and higher production of commercial fruits, and higher yield and total income per hectare than at 30 or 50 m away from them. These results indicate that planting designs of ‘Ataulfo’ trees located 10 m away from ‘Haden’ will help to satisfy the increasing demand for mangos of this cultivar in the international market.

Highlights

Mango is one of the most cultivated and commercialized tropical fruits worldwide [1,2], and Mexico is the main exporter [3]
Crop yield and productivity of this cultivar have been significantly diminished in several localities [5,6,7], mainly due to the high incidence of parthenocarpic or stenospermocarpic fruits of smaller size and weight that have little or no commercial value, known as nubbins or in Spanish as “mango niño” [8,9]
One of the strategies used by some mango producers is planting trees of a compatible cultivar (“pollen donor”, on) with the cultivar of commercial interest on the same orchard to minimize the harmful effects of inbreeding depression since it has been observed that this practice increases the production of fruits in other crops such as pears [17], apples [18,19], and in other mango cultivars [20,21]

Summary

Introduction

Mango is one of the most cultivated and commercialized tropical fruits worldwide [1,2], and Mexico is the main exporter [3]. Among the different mango cultivars cultivated in Mexico, ‘Ataulfo’ shows greater acceptance at the international market and supports the highest volume and the highest commercial value at a national level [4]. One of the strategies used by some mango producers is planting trees of a compatible cultivar (“pollen donor”, on) with the cultivar of commercial interest on the same orchard to minimize the harmful effects of inbreeding depression since it has been observed that this practice increases the production of fruits in other crops such as pears [17], apples [18,19], and in other mango cultivars [20,21]

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