New mango varieties are one of the most important chapters for the mango industry today. To learn more about this aspect, we wanted to know the opinion of Dr. Noris Ledesma, professor at the University of Florida and adjunct researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture ARS SHRU (clonal germplasm repository United States), one of the greatest authorities on this subject.

According to Dr. Noris Ledesma, “in general, an effort is being made to formalize the introduction of new varieties to Latin American countries. Each country has its own regulations and this makes it more difficult in some countries to get the steps to move forward.”

However, “Peru has been working with new mango varieties for almost 15 years. There are collections led mainly by the private industry, where more than 20 varieties are being studied and there are several germplasm banks already established. These are commercial tests with varieties such as 'Rapoza', 'Angie', 'Mallika', 'Kesar', 'Rosigold', among others," says Dr. Ledesma.

She also adds that "Mexico has already begun its establishment of Florida varieties, led by EMEX (Mango Export Packers) where nearly 600 buds were already introduced last year and another 600 will be imported soon). The plants are currently in the quarantine process at the nursery stage, under the jurisdiction of Senasica."

In the same context, Ledesma points out that "Colombia has also started its protocols to be able to import new varieties to its country, led by Corpoica and the University of Magdalena, in the north of the country. The varieties imported by these two countries are free to use, since they are varieties that have not been patented. Producers from both Mexico and Colombia will directly benefit from this institutional effort."

On the other hand, “the Dominican Republic introduced varieties from Florida in 2014, led by Promango (Association of mango producers and exporters of the Dominican Republic). Replicas were established in 5 experimental stations in the country. The Dominican Republic has a diversity of microclimates where the primary objective was to evaluate these varieties in dissimilar areas. It is important to highlight that the Dominican Republic also has a very interesting germplasm bank based on the selection of national varieties; flagship varieties of this country such as Banilejo or Mingolo, which are already exported with great success.”

Ledesma also comments that “the varieties in Mexico are still young, since the program has only recently begun, but I estimate that in about five years they will have enough material for distribution. I do not know the distribution plan that the Association has planned, but I imagine this will be one of the issues that will be clarified at the next International Mango Congress in Guadalajara on November 21 and 22.”

Regarding the way forward, Ledesma points out that “we could say that there will be genetic diversity: more tropical hybrids and resistance to drought, flooded soils and extreme temperature conditions, but these studies are very long-term. Improvement programs around the world have worked to create new cultivars for the mango industry and are based on solid improvement and selection criteria. However, greater efforts must be made to include field production criteria, such as natural tolerance to flowering diseases.”

He also comments that “we must work more on developing technologies on mango cultivation efficiency using clean and efficient horticultural practices. Cultivar and seasonal diversity remains a challenge for a healthy mango industry. These are long-term, expensive and risky studies. It is important to work together to optimize our efforts.”

“There is interest from producers and, in general, the mango industry, in new varieties. We continue to work in this direction, also evaluating its acceptance in the United States and its ability to overcome health barriers and fruit quality barriers during transportation without losing its quality. However, it is important to carry out trials in different countries and regions," Ledesma points out.