Mango-Harvest and storage

Mango normally reaches harvesting stage in 3-5 years. The fruits generally require 95 to 115 days to mature after flowering.

Building of shoulders and a slight depression near the stalk end indicates the maturity of fruit. Colour of fruit changes from dark green to pale green. In few varieties red blush develops on the fruit shoulders.

One or two or three ripe fruits fall from the plant naturally, indicating maturity of the other fruits on the tree. The fruits with specific gravity between 1.00 to 1.02 are said to be mature.

For mangoes exported by sea, the optimum stage of harvest maturity is the “half-mature” stage. Fruit should not show any signs of softening.

Mangoes should be harvested with pedicel. Injury to the fruits during harvesting brings down their quality and also makes them prone to fungal attack.