EVALUATION OF SUCKING TYPE OF MANGO STRAINS UNDER SUB MOUNTANE ZONE OF EASTERN PUNJAB (INDIA)

Mango is heterozygous in nature and exhibits great diversity in seedling population. In order to broaden the genetic base, a survey of mango growing regions of Punjab (India) was made and more than 60 sucking mango strains were collected. The performance of twenty-six elite sucking mango strains was assessed in terms of vegetative growth, fruit yield and quality attributes. Maximum tree vigour was recorded in GN 9. All the strains were severely infested by floral malformation except in GN 3, GN 9, GN 21 , GN 22 , GN 26 , GN 35 and GN 48 , where it was less than 5 per cent. Fruit yield ranged between 47.5 kg/tree in GN 16 to 178.8 kg/tree in GN 6. GN 8 strain had bigger fruit weight and fruit length, whereas; highest peel weight, stone weight and fruit breadth was found in GN 6. The highest fruit pulp percentage was observed in GN 13 and it ranged from 41.9% to 65.7% in rest of strains. Lower fruit length and breadth was noted in GN 1 (5.57 cm) & GN 48 (4.46 cm), respectively. Total soluble solids in various strains varied from 13.2 (GN 18 ) to 22.9 per cent (GN 49 ), acidity from 0.32 (GN 49 ) to 0.61 per cent (GN 21 ) and TSS/acid ratio from 23.8 (GN 6) to 71.6 (GN 49 ). The fibre content was absent in GN 1, GN 5, GN 8, GN 10 , GN 16 & GN 18 . Fruit colour was sindhuri yellow in GN 2, GN 5, GN 6, GN 15 , GN 17 and GN 21 . Strains GN 3, GN 5, GN 6, GN 12 , GN15 , GN 19 and GN 48 were found to be promising under Punjab agroclimatic conditions.