Mango

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Mango (lat. Mangifera indica) - an evergreen tree belonging to the Sumakhovy family and is one of the most valuable agricultural crops.

History

In the wild, mango has long grown in tropical rainforests located in Myanmar (in the border zone) and in a distant Indian state called Assam. And in the 16th century, active Portuguese colonists also brought it to Africa and Brazil.

Today, mangoes are cultivated in many regions with favorable climates around the world: in China, Mexico, the Caribbean, in the countries of Central and South America, in the tropical zone of Africa (in Cote d'Ivoire and in Kenya), in Cuba and in the United States, as well as in Australia and in many Asian countries (Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand).

Description

Mango is an evergreen tree with a rather dense crown, the height of which reaches from ten to forty-five meters. The leaves of this culture are very large - their width is on average about ten centimeters, and their length is about forty centimeters. Young leaves are usually colored reddish, and mature leaves are a rich dark green.

The tiny yellowish flowers of the mango form rather long panicles. In this case, each broom may contain from several hundred flowers to several thousand.

Mango fruits are yellowish drupes covered with a smooth waxy skin. Their taste can range from sour to sweet. It is also important to know that in some people, mango fruits are capable of causing allergic reactions - both in the fruits themselves (especially in unripe ones), and in their peel contains all kinds of toxic components. And the main irritant is considered to be the easily volatilizing etheric substance. Depending on the variety, mangoes ripen between June and August, while some varieties ripen only in December.

Currently, there are about three hundred varieties of mangoes. One of the most popular varieties is Alfonso.

Usage

Mangoes are eaten not only fresh, but also canned. The pulp of its fruit contains not only sugars, but also xanthones (the main one being mangiferin), and organic acids.

Mango is also widely used in popular Indian medicine - not only fruits and seeds with flowers, but also gum from the bark are used there.

The wood of mango trees is characterized by truly incredible strength, due to which the range of its use is very wide: it is used in shipbuilding, in construction, as well as in the production of sports equipment, all kinds of crafts, veneered plywood and even shoes.

And mango is also one of the national symbols of Pakistan and India.

Growing mango from seed

Mango is easy enough to grow from a flat and rather large egg-shaped bone extracted from the fruit. The fruit, of course, must be ripe. To extract the stone, it is best to take even a slightly overripe soft fruit. By the way, in such fruits you can sometimes find already burst bones with tiny sprouts looking out.

Immediately before planting, the bone is freed from the pulp to the maximum - this is necessary so that mold does not form on it after planting. The open pit can be planted immediately by placing it as close to the soil surface as possible with the root down. And the unopened bone is first dipped for a week or two in a glass of water at room temperature. The water should be changed every two days. Only after this time can the seed be planted. You can do it differently - let the bone swell in a wet towel (by analogy with germinating the seeds of squash or pumpkin). In this case, it is important to ensure that the bone does not dry out.

The soil to be planted should be as light as for the planted succulents. Ideally, it should be mixed with pebbles or expanded clay. In addition, there must be a drainage hole in the pot. A miniature "greenhouse" made from a cut plastic bottle is being set up on top. Periodically, the plug must be removed to allow the plant to ventilate.