Diversity of a Large Collection of Natural Populations of Mango (Mangifera indica Linn.) Revealed by Agro-Morphological and Quality Traits

Abstract

Collection, characterization and utilization of genetic resources are crucial for developing varieties to meet current and future needs. Although mango is an economically important fruit tree, its genetic resources are still undocumented and are threatened in their natural habits. In this study, the variability of 452 mango accessions from three regions in China (Nujiang, Lancang river and Honghe) was assessed using 41 descriptors including qualitative and quantitative traits, with the aim to identify mango accessions with excellent agronomic and quality traits. To this end, descriptive and multivariate analyses were performed. Based on Shannon–Weaver diversity index, qualitative traits including pericarp color, fruit aroma, flesh color, and fruit flavor recorded the highest variability in the germplasm. Fruit related traits including pulp weight, peel weight, and fruit weight were the most diverse traits in the germplasm with a high coefficient of variation (CV > 40%). Significant differences (MANOVA test, p < 0.000) were observed among the three regions for most of the quantitative traits. Biologically significant and positive correlations were found among agronomically important traits such as fruit weight and pulp weight, fruit weight and edible rate. The hierarchical cluster analysis revealed tree clusters, indicating a low diversity in the germplasm. The majority of the descriptors contributed to the differentiation of the accessions. Accessions with good fruits quality (high fruit weight, pulp weight, and edible rate) were found in Cluster 2. Accessions in this cluster could be used for fruit quality improvement in mango breeding programs. Our study sheds light on the diversity of a large collection of natural mango population in China and provides relevant information for efficient conservation and harnessing of mango genetic resources.

Microsatellites to reveal genetic diversity and to distinguish four mangoes of Tegal District, Central Java, Indonesia

“…Indonesia and Malaysia also have several types of wild mangoes (Singh et al 2016). These wild types are vital to support mango breeding programs (Zhang et al 2020).…”

Diversity in Morphometric, Pomological, and Fruit-Quality Traits of Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) Traditional Varieties: Implications for Landrace Differentiation at Regional Scale

“…We used the FAMD technique to characterize the germplasm using quantitative and qualitative variables simultaneously and to understand which traits and phenotypes are important for classification purposes. Similar to studies in other species, the dimensionality reduction by FAMD indicated that various factors are needed to capture most of the variance [48,49]. This can be explained by considering that the dataset is complex (being made of an equal and substantial number of qualitative and quantitative variables) and that the relationships between the two types of traits are non-linear, bearing in mind the observed significant relationships between quantitative traits.…”

Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Novel and Extant Taxa in Pleosporales Associated with Mangifera indica from Yunnan, China (Series I)

“…Flowering occurs from January to March, and the fruiting period is April to July. The most widely cultivated mango varieties in these areas are Keitt, Guifei, Sannian, Nang Klangwan, and JinHwang [7,[97][98][99]. Honghe, located in the dry and hot river valley (north tropical climate regions), has an average annual temperature of 24.9 °C, annual sunshine time of 2300 h, and average annual precipitation of 800-1000 mm, while Baoshan, located in west of Yunnan (south subtropical climate regions), reports an average annual air temperature of 21.5 °C, annual sunshine time of 2300 h, and average annual precipitation of 750-900 mm [99][100][101][102].…”