Mangoes are juicy stone fruit (drupe) from numerous species of tropical trees belonging to the flowering plant genus Mangifera, cultivated mostly for their edible fruit. Mango trees grow to 35–40 m (115–131 ft) tall, with a crown radius of 10 m (33 ft). The trees are long-lived, as some specimens still fruit after 300 years. In deep soil, the taproot descends to a depth of 6 m (20 ft), with profuse, wide-spreading feeder roots and anchor roots penetrating deeply into the soil. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, 15–35 cm (5.9–13.8 in) long, and 6–16 cm (2.4–6.3 in) broad; when the leaves are young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing to a dark, glossy red, then dark green as they mature. The flowers are produced in terminal panicles 10–40 cm (3.9–15.7 in) long; each flower is small and white with five petals 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long, with a mild, sweet fragrance. Over 500 varieties of mangoes are known, many of which ripen in summer, while some give a double crop. The fruit takes four to five months from flowering to ripen.
CULTIVARS
There are many hundreds of named mango cultivars. In mango orchards, several cultivars are often grown in order to improve pollination. Many desired cultivars are mono-embryonic and must be propagated by grafting or they do not breed true. A common mono-embryonic cultivar is ‘Alphonso’, an important export product, considered as “the king of mangoes” Cultivars that excel in one climate may fail elsewhere. For example, Indian cultivars such as ‘Julie’, a prolific cultivar in Jamaica, require annual fungicide treatments to escape the lethal fungal disease anthracnose in Florida. Asian mangoes are resistant to anthracnose.
Generally, ripe mangoes have an orange-yellow or reddish peel and are juicy for eating, while exported fruit are often picked while under-ripe with green peels. Although producing ethylene while ripening, unripened exported mangoes do not have the same juiciness or flavor as fresh fruit.
SOIL REQUIREMENT
Mangoes are most often grown in areas south of the Tropic of Cancer, because it is close to the equator, where temperatures are consistently warm. Mango trees do not tolerate cold temperatures and temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit may kill flower buds and newly blooming flowers, compromising fruit production
FLOWER POLLINATION
Although mango trees produce many flowers, not all of those flowers will produce fruit. Flowers may develop on different parts of a tree at different times. Mango trees differ from other fruit trees because flowers don’t require bees for pollination. A host of other insects and fruit bats pollinate mango flowers. Mango trees are monoecious, a term that describes how some flowers on any single tree may be hermaphroditic, having both female and male reproductive organs. The typical pattern of flower production is that 75 percent of the flowers are capable of self-pollinating because the flower has both female and male parts, and 25 percent of the flowers are all male. Flowering may occur any time between December and March, depending on the growing area and weather conditions.
BLOOM TO FRUIT
The time it takes for mango trees to produce mature, harvest-ready fruit from the time of flowering ranges from 100 to 150 days, depending on the cultivar, growing region and various weather factors. After flowers are pollinated, fruit begins to develop. Fruit varies according to cultivar variety and growing location. Mango skin may be greenish-yellow or orange-red. Flavor also varies between acidic and sweet. Compared to the number of flowers a tree produces, the actual number of fruits that develop and mature to harvest is very small. Most varieties bear fruit between May and September. Fruit production is heaviest during June and July
PRODUCTION
In 2016, global production of mangoes was 46.5 million tonnes, led by India with 40% (19 million tonnes) of the world total (table). China and Thailand were the next largest producers. Nigeria has all that is needed to be amongst the highest producer of this fruit.
Food constituents
Nutrients
The energy value per 100 g (3.5 oz) serving of the common mango is 250 kJ (60 kcal), and that of the apple mango is slightly higher (330 kJ (79 kcal) per 100 g). Fresh mango contains a variety of nutrients (right table), but only vitamin C and folate are in significant amounts of the Daily Value as 44% and 11%, respectively
Prevent Cancer
The pulp of the mango fruit contains carotenoids, ascorbic acid, terpenoids, and polyphenols – all of which are responsible for the fruit’s cancer-preventing properties. Mangoes are also found to contain unique antioxidants that are absent in other fruits and vegetables. A Texas study conducted in 2010 also supported the anti-carcinogenic effects of mangoes.
The anticancer properties of mango are also attributed to mangiferin, a compound primarily found in the fruit. Another study conducted in 2015 found that mango polyphenols suppress breast cancer. Mangiferin has also been found to inhibit the growth of colon and liver cancer cells and other tumor cells as well. According to a report published by the Texas A&M University, the polyphenolic compounds in mangoes have antioxidant properties that help decrease oxidative stress (oxidative stress can lead to chronic diseases like cancer). In addition, these compounds were also found to be anti-inflammatory
Prevent Heart Disease
Mangoes could help reduce body fat and control blood sugar. According to a report published by the Oklahoma State University, mangoes contain numerous minerals and phytochemicals that were found to have positive effects on body fat and glucose.
Mangoes are a rich source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that helps fight free radicals that cause heart disease.
Cholesterol
Mangoes contain pectin that was found to decrease the serum cholesterol levels.
In another study conducted by the University of Madras, mangiferin (one of the primary compounds in mangoes) lowered the cholesterol levels in lab rats It was also found to increase the levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein), the good cholesterol
Promote Healthy Sex
Mangoes are good aphrodisiacs because the fruit is rich in vitamin E, which is known to boost sex drive. In an Australian study, the combination of vitamin E and beta-carotene was found to improve sperm health in men. This combination was also found to be the best defense against sperm damage. In another report published by the US National Institutes of Health, vitamin E was found to protect the sperm membrane from oxidate damage.
Zinc is another important mineral for male and female fertility, and mangoes are rich in it.
Improve Digestion
One primary reason mangoes are great for digestion is the presence of fiber that prevents constipation. Fiber also keeps us full for long. It keeps our colon clean and allows it to work optimally. In addition, mangoes contain certain digestive enzymes that break down proteins and aid digestion.
Fiber has also been found to maintain the health of the digestive tract, which invariably enhances digestion.
Mango during Pregnancy
Mangoes are rich in iron and vitamins A, C, and B6 – all of which are beneficial for pregnant women. Vitamin A helps fight infections and prevents vision problems in newborns
Other Benefits of Mangoes
- Mangoes are also found to exhibit anti-ulcer activity, given the presence of tannins, flavonoids, and saponins
- The mango fruit peel can also help cure hangovers
- Mangoes can improve liver health as well
- The fruit also keeps your thyroid gland functioning optimally
The major inputs for commercial MANGO farming are; LAND, IMPROVED CULTIVERS, TRAINING, FERTILISER, DISEASE AND PEST CONTROL, FINANCE and MARKET.
LAND
Procuring Land for such commercial farming has to be done by professionals who have the eagle eye to decode the soil texture without much examination. It is also easier to source for land for agriculture through professionals because they have extensive network and can arrange Land for you in short notice and in a cost effective manner. There is little need to purchase land for farming in large scale from the beginning as this will tie down available capital, thus it is advisable to lease and subsequently pay for the land from the proceed of the farm. BUSINESS ADVISORY NETWORK is a guru in this regard and will help you arrange choice farm land at the best rate, all you have to do is to talk to us.
TRAINING
We will guide you on best planting season, spacing, fertilizer type, how to source fertilizer, fertilizer application. Weed control, Crops you may intercrop with MANGO, the effects of intercropping on MANGO yield, Storage and processing.
FINANCE
The central bank of Nigeria has a lot of incentives/ credits for commercial farmers at a reduced interest rate of 9% per annum. Most of these are organized by the central bank of Nigeria although accessed through the commercial bank. BAN will guide you on how to source credit under any of these credits listed below;
Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund (ACGSF) The Fund guarantees credit facilities extended to farmers by banks up to 75% of the amount in default net of any security realized. The Fund is managed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, through this guarantee it is easy For commercial banks to loan to farmers not fearing
Agricultural Credit Support Scheme (ACSS) ACSS funds are disbursed to farmers and agro-allied entrepreneurs at a single-digit interest rate of 8.0 percent. At the commencement of the project support, banks will grant loans to qualified applicants at 14.0 per cent interest rate. Applicants who pay back their facilities on schedule are to enjoy a rebate of 6.0 per cent, thus reducing the effective rate of interest to be paid by farmers to 8.0 per cent.
Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS) This credit scheme is specifically targeted to finance the country’s agricultural value chain (production, processing, storage and marketing). The maximum interest rate to the borrower under the scheme shall not exceed 9 per cent, inclusive of all charges.
Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending ( NIRSAL) Risk is the single-most important factor that prevents banks from lending to agriculture. To change banks’ perception that agriculture is a high-risk sector, NIRSAL has a USD300 Million Risk-Sharing Facility that it uses to share their losses on agricultural loans through Credit Risk Guarantees. NIRSAL shares risk with banks ranging from 30% to 75% of face value depending on segment.
This also includes a guarantee fee of 1% per annum on outstanding protected principal and interest. Up to 40% of interest cost rebated to select value chain participants every 90 days if loan remains in good standing (no partial or full default). All crops, livestock and related supportive economic activity across the value chain are supported by this facility.
The news is that government is willing and doing everything to encourage farming in Nigeria because that’s where the country straight lies. Nigeria is endowed with arable land and fresh water resources when viewed as a whole with approximately 61 million hectares of the land cultivable while the total renewable water resources is about 280 km3/year; which include river Niger, river Benue, lake Chad, Osun river, Hadejia River, Bonny river and a host of others. The major soil types in Nigeria, according to FAO soil taxonomist are fluvisols, regosols, gleysols, acrisols, ferrasols, alisols, lixisols, cambisols, luvisols, nitosols, arenosols and vertisols. These soil types vary in their potential for agricultural use according to FAO.
Nigerian soils can be classified into groups made up of four (climatic) zones that are soil associations. The groups are:
- Northern zone of sandy soils
- Interior zone of laterite soils
- Southern belt of forest soils
- Alluvial soils Zones
Northern zone of sandy soils: This area lies in the very northern parts of the country. This area lies in the extreme north with proximity to the fringes of the fast- encroaching Sahara desert. It is characterized by soils formed by deposition of sand by the wind. These soils might have been formed from wind-sorted desert sands that accumulated over long periods of time when the Sahara desert encroached several kilometers south of its present limits. The soils of this zone are very good in the production of groundnut, sorghum, cowpea, and millet.
Interior zone of laterite soils: This zone is made up of a mixture of sand and clay. They are grey to black clay, poorly drained and seasonally flooded forming the “fadama”. The Biu Plateau has rich soil that is productive and offers prospects for the expansion of the areas of cotton production, soybeans, yam and other legumes.
Southern belt of forest soils: Soils in this zone broadly represent those of the humid, tropical forest climate zones of the south where the wet season is long, the harmattan season short and forest cover is dense. Local soil types depend largely on parent rock; where the underlying rocks are granite or clay, the soils is a rich clayey loam. These soils are very good in growing crops like cocoa, oil palm, rubber, Cassava.
Zone of alluvial soils: These soils are found along the flooded plains of rivers, deltas, along the coastal flats. This zone extends from the coastal inland and runs along the valleys of the Niger and the Benue rivers, thus cutting across the vegetational zones. Soils in this zone are characteristic of fresh-water soil of grey to white sand, grey clay and sandy clay with humid topsoil. Another group consists of brownish to black saline mangrove soils, with a mat of rootlets. This soil type is very good for rice etc.
FARM EQUIPMENT
BAN will also help in securing farming equipment. This may be achieved through the federal and state government partnership with the support of any of the credit schemes. Through this farm equipment can be acquired or leased.
SECURITY
Security of the farm is of utmost importance, thus adequate security must be put in place to eliminate/ reduce pilferage in the farm.