Exploring Self-Incompatibility and Pollination Approaches in Commercial Cultivars of Mango (Mangifera indica L.)

Abstract

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) popularly known as ‘King of fruits’ or ‘apple of tropics’, belonging to the family Anacardiaceae is a major fruit crop in tropical and subtropical regions. Many mango cultivars exhibit low productivity for several reasons, including alternate bearing, malformation, reduced fruit set and increased fruit drop at various growth stages. The challenges related to fruit set are primarily linked to ineffective pollination. While numerous varieties have been identified as self-fruitful, cross-pollination appears essential for achieving satisfactory yields. A key factor affecting fruit set in different mango cultivars has been recognised as self and cross incompatibility. In this context, four mango cultivars (Alphonso, Dashehari, Mallika and Totapuri) were examined to assess the effects of open, self and cross-pollination on fruit set and the retention of fruits. The results of the current study indicated that open pollination followed by cross-pollination produced the highest fruit set and retention rates among all the cultivars analyzed, outperforming the results obtained through self-pollination. Among the combinations tested, Alphonso x Totapuri exhibited the greatest fruit set percentage of 30.18%. This was closely trailed by Alphonso x Dashehari, which recorded 29.60% and Dashehari x Alphonso, which achieved a percentage of 29.06%. In contrast, the self-pollination treatments for Dashehari and Mallika produced the least successful results, with percentages of 11.26% and 12.08%, respectively. The combinations of Totapuri x Dashehari (24.14%), Alphonso x Dashehari (20.77%), and Dashehari x Alphonso (19.34%) exhibited the highest rates of fruit retention. Conversely, the cross combination of Mallika x Dashehari resulted in no fruit retention, which was also the case for the self-pollinated treatments of both Dashehari and Mallika. These findings suggest that the mango varieties ‘Dashehari’ and ‘Mallika’ are self-incompatible, whereas ‘Alphonso’ and ‘Totapuri’ are self-compatible.