Mango Growing in Kenya by Juergen Griesbach Training Materials Coordinator

Heart

The fruit is small to medium sized and of a bright yellow colour with a few large white dots. It is heart-shaped with a flattened base and beak. It has an average length of 8.4 cm, is 8 cm wide and its weight ranges from 140 to 255 g. The skin is thick. The flesh is firm and juicy with a moderate amount of coarse fibres; it is lemon yellow and has a spicy, resinous aroma. Its eating quality is only fair.

The tree is vigorous with a large, spreading rounded canopy. This mid-season cultivar is a fairly good and regular producer.

• 
  seed propagation possible (polyembryonic)
  
• 
  no distinct biennial bearing
  
• 
  resistance to anthracnose is rather good
  

• 
  flavour not very popular among consumers
  
• 
  colour of skin
  
• 
  size of fruit
  

Irwin

The fruit is bright yellow with a crimson or dark red blush and numerous large white dots. Its shape is ovate with a rounded base; average size is 12.3 cm long and 8.5 cm wide; average weight is 372 g. Fruits are often produced in clusters. The flesh is soft, tender, melting and juicy; only slightly fibrous, lemon yellow, sweet and mild with a pleasant aroma and of good quality. The seed is mono-embryonic and embedded in a relatively small and thin stone shell.

The tree is small to medium, moderately vigorous with an open canopy and produces consistently good yields. The fruits mature from late January until March (mid-season).

• 
  good fruit quality combined with attractive appearance
  
• 
  one of the most prolific cultivars
  
• 
  trees are somewhat dwarf-sized
  

• 
  short post-harvest life
  

Keitt

It is one of the latest maturing of all the recommended cultivars. It has an exceptional keeping quality and may be left on the trees long after the normal harvesting time (March–April). The fruit is large with an average length of 11.7 cm and a width of 9.2 cm; it has an average weight of 456 g. It has a greenish-yellow colour with pink or red blush and lavender bloom. There are numerous white or yellow/red lenticels on the thick and fairly tough skin. The fruit shape is ovate and plump without a beak; it has a rounded base. The flesh is deep yellow, fairly firm but tender, melting, juicy and with only a little fibre near the seed. The flavour is rich and sweet with a pleasant aroma and excellent quality. The fairly small seed (7.5% of fruit weight) is mono-embryonic.

The tree is medium-sized, moderately vigorous, producing long arching branches and has a scraggy open appearance. It is a heavy and regular bearer.

• 
  a cultivar with late maturity
  
• 
  good marketing qualities and productivity
  
• 
  fair resistance to anthracnose
  

• 
  skin coloration often inadequate
  
• 
  highly susceptible to bacterial black spot and affected by internal breakdown of the flesh (reported from Australia)
  
• 
  susceptible to sunburn
  

Kensington

At present, this early mid-season cultivar enjoys only little attention but shows great potential especially for the local market. The fruit is medium in size, almost round with a flattened base and a slight beak, averaging 12.2 cm in length and 8.1 cm in width; average weight is 319 g. When ripe, the skin colour is yellow with a slightly orange/pink blush.

The skin is thick and adherent and the flesh yellow, sweet, soft and juicy with moderate to little fibre. The seed, covered by a moderately thick woody stone (7.8% of fruit weight) is polyembryonic.

The trees are vigorous/spreading and produce consistent, high yields.

• 
  propagation by both seed (polyembryonic) and grafting
  
• 
  good shelf life
  
• 
  excellent eating quality
  

• 
  moderately susceptible to anthracnose
  
• 
  needs more publicity