MINERAL DISTRIBUTION IN MANGO FRUIT SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDER SOFT-NOSE

The mineral content of mango fruit (cultivar 'Kent') from a site at which the disorder soft-nose occurs was compared with fruit grown at another site where the disorder was not encountered. Comparisons were also made with another less susceptible cultivar ('Beverly'), growing next to the disordered ' Kent' trees. The calcium and magnesium content of the disordered 'Kent' fruit was lower than in the healthy 'Kent' fruit. However, the calcium and magnesium levels of the less susceptible 'Beverly' fruit were as low as in the disordered 'Kent' fruit at the same site. The inner flesh of the distal region of the fruit, the location at which the soft-nose disorder develops, was found to have the lowest calcium concentration in the whole fruit. The low calcium in the fruit from the site prone to soft-nose is therefore a possible contributing factor in the development of the disorder. However, cultivar susceptibility clearly plays a significant role which cannot be accounted for in terms of calcium content or distribution.