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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Miami, Florida » Subtropical Horticulture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #183723
Title: DETERMINATION OF COLOR AND FRUIT TRAITS OF HALF-SIB FAMILIES OF MANGO (MANGIFERA INDICA L.)

Author
item Ayala-Silva, Tomas
item Schnell Ii, Raymond
item Meerow, Alan
item Winterstein, Michael - Mikey
item Cervantesmartinez, Cuauhtemoc
item Brown, James

Submitted to: Proceedings of Florida State Horticultural Society
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2005
Publication Date: 12/1/2005
Citation: Ayala-Silva, T., Schnell II, R.J., Meerow, A.W., Winterstein, M.C., Cervantes-Martinez, C., Brown, J.S. 2005. Determination of color and fruit traits of half-sib families of mango (Mangifera indica L.). Proceedings of Florida State Horticultural Society. 118:253-257.

Interpretive Summary: The visual appearance of mangoes is one of the first quality determinants made by the consumer. Often the appearance of the commodity is the most critical factor in the initial sale. In Florida, the color of the mango is an important factor and everyone likes a handsome mango that is overlaid with red. In the past, the evaluation of mango color has been subjective and based on visual ratings. Large errors are associated with these types of ratings, which makes evaluation of the varieties based on fruit color difficult. The present paper illustrates the use of a colorimeter to measure mango color and quality traits. Mango color was measured with a Minolta Chroma Meter CR-400 portable tristimulus colorimeter and fruit chromaticity was recorded in Commission Internationale d’Eclairage L*, a* and b* color space coordinates. Detailed data was obtained from six half-sib families and two clonal check in 2004. Fruit and seed size and weight, fruit number, oBrix, jelly seed and anthracnose resistance were evaluated. The ability to quantify color readings could allow us to estimate the quality of this trait and help in the selection of parents to use in breeding new cultivars.

Technical Abstract: The visual appearance of fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the first quality determinants made by the consumer. Often the appearance of the commodity is the most critical factor in the initial sale. In Florida, the color of the mango is an important factor and everyone admires a handsome mango that is generously overlaid with red. Red skin is considered a necessity for mangos shipped to northern markets, even though other aspects of quality may be inferior to that of non-showy cultivars. In the past, the evaluation of mango color has been subjective and based on visual ratings. Large errors are associated with these types of ratings, which makes evaluation of the varieties based on fruit color difficult. The present paper illustrates the use of a colorimeter to quantify fruit color, quality and differentiation among varieties. Mango color was measured with a Minolta Chroma Meter CR-400 portable tristimulus colorimeter and fruit chromaticity was recorded in Commission Internationale d’Eclairage L*, a* and b* color space coordinates. In this system of color representation the values L*, a*, and b* describe a uniform three-dimensional color space, where the L* value corresponds to a dark-bright scale, a* is negative for green and positive for red, and b* is negative for blue and positive for yellow. For each sample, color values were measured at the base, cavity and apex on each mango. Detailed data was obtained from six half-sib families and two clonal check in 2004. Fruit and seed size and weight, fruit number, oBrix, jelly seed and anthracnose resistance were also evaluated. The ability to quantify color readings could allow us to estimate the heritability of this trait and aid in the selection of parents to use in breeding new cultivars.