Embryo Abortion in Relation to Fruit Size, Quality, and Concentrations of Nutrients in Skin and Pulp of Mango

ABSTRACT

To investigate the effects of embryo abortion on fruit size and weight, stone weight, and fruit quality, including total soluble solids (TSS), acidity, TSS/acid ratio, sugars, and concentrations of macro and micronutrients in skin and pulp, nubbins (seedless fruit) and seeded fruit of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivars ‘Glenn,’ ‘Irwin,’ ‘Haden,’ ‘Kent,’ and ‘Kensington Pride’ were compared at the ripe stage. Nubbins had significantly smaller fruit size and lower fruit weight than in seeded fruit in all the cultivars. Mean stone weight was also significantly lower in nubbins (9.04 g) than in seeded fruit (30.27 g) and the trend was similar in all the cultivars. Percent dry pulp weight was significantly higher in nubbins than in seeded fruit in all five cultivars. Nubbins exhibited significantly lower acidity and higher TSS and TSS/acid ratio than did seeded fruit in all of the cultivars. The concentrations of nitrogen (N), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) in the skin and N, phosphorus (P), K, calcium (Ca), Mg, sulfur (S), Fe, zinc (Zn), and Cu in the pulp of nubbins did not differ significantly from those in the skin and pulp of seeded fruit in all of the cultivars. However, mean concentrations of P, Ca, and S were significantly higher in the skin of nubbins than in the skin of seeded fruit. Mean concentrations of manganese (Mn) and boron (B) in both skin and pulp of nubbins were significantly higher than in the skin and pulp of seeded fruit. The experimental results suggest that embryo abortion at early stages of fruit development, although it reduces fruit size and weight, does not affect the concentrations of these elements in the pulp and skin of mature fruit. In conclusion, embryo abortion in mango fruit substantially reduced fruit size, weight, and stone weight and improved TSS, TSS/acid ratio, total sugars, and non-reducing sugars compared with seeded fruit in all the cultivars and led to minor changes in the concentrations of most of macro and micronutrients in skin and pulp of the fruit.

Keywords:

• Mangifera Indica
• nubbins
• embryo abortion
• fruit quality
• essential
• nutrients

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I gratefully acknowledge Westralian Fruits, Gin Gin, Western Australia, for use of their orchard and other facilities on their properties to conduct the research. I am thankful to Mr. Satvinder S. Dhaliwal, biostatistician, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, for his advice on statistical analysis, and Dr. A. U. Malik, for reviewing the manuscript.

Notes

*n = 80 included four replications and 20 fruit per replication

**n = four replications.