The important characteristics include time of ripening, internal quality, external appearance, fruit size, resistance to bacterial black spot and other diseases, tree size and consistent yields.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MOST WELL KNOWN CULTIVARS
EARLY TO MID SEASON
TOMMY ATKINS
- Early cultivar
- Large fruit (450 – 700 g) with an ovoid to slightly oblong shape.
- Shelf life is good.
- A well coloured mango with exceptional red colour.
- Has a mild, sweet flavour.
ZILL
- Fruit is fibreless.
- Small to medium sized with an oval to ovate shape.
- The colour changes from purple to red as it ripens.
- Has a greenish yellow skin and hues of red.
- Has a sweet taste and smooth, firm flesh.
SABRE
- A small to medium sized mango.
- Yellow in colour with red cheeks.
- One of the traditional old fibre mango cultivar.
IRWIN
- Fruit is elongated with a medium to large size.
- Yellow to red coloured
MID SEASON
PEACH
- Has an attractive orange-yellow colour with red cheeks.
- Available early till mid season.
- One of the traditional old fibre mangos.
HADEN
- A fairly large mango.
- Yellow to red in colour.
MID TO LATE SEASON
KENT
- A medium to large sized mango.
- Sweet taste and smooth textured flesh.
- Its skin remains predominantly green in colour, even when ripe and ready to eat.
HEIDI
- Medium to large sized mango.
- Very attractive yellow and red coloured.
- This is a mango with succulent sweet flesh and has a unique mango flavour.
- The shape of this mango resembles a heart.
LATE SEASON
SENSATION
- A small to medium sized mango.
- It has a green background and purple to red tinges.
- The Sensation has firm flesh.
- It has a sweet flavour and is string-less
KEITT
- A large mango with a small pip.
- It has a green to pale red colour.
- The skin of this cultivar also remains predominantly green even when ripe and ready to eat