ABSTRACT

Organic mango production: a review Víctor Manuel Medina-Urrutia, Jaime Eduardo Reyes-Hernández, Gil Virgen-Calleros and Enrique Pimienta-Barrios, Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico; and Marciano Manuel Robles-González, Campo Experimental Tecomán, Mexico

1 Introduction

2 Climate and soil selection

3 Cultivars and rootstocks

4 Soil preparation and planting

5 High density, pruning and shading

6 Management of established mango orchards

7 Weed control

8 Irrigation

9 Flowering habit and induction

10 Pest and disease management

11 Comparing organic and conventional systems

12 Conclusion

13 References

Consumer demand for organic tree fruit products in Europe and North America, the dominant organic food markets, has spurred increases in organic agricultural land area and production globally. From 2008 to 2013, the area of production increased 109%, 42% and 53% for organic temperate tree fruits, citrus and tropical/subtropical fruits, respectively, with much lower growth over the total area (non-organic plus organic) in these categories. Most organic tree fruits represent approximately 1-2% of total production area for a specific fruit; avocado is the exception, with 8% of avocado-producing area worldwide under organic management. Mexico, Italy and China are the top three countries in terms of organic tree fruit area. Published data on the relative yield of organic to conventional tree fruits are scarce. Comparisons of yields from organic cultivation of tree fruits range from 42% to 126% of yields from conventional cultivation. Reported production costs for organic tree fruits are generally higher than those for conventional tree fruits, with higher cost for fertilizers

being a common reason. Higher selling prices for organic tree fruits compensate for lower yields and higher costs in most cases, leading to a higher net return under certified organic management (Granatstein et al., 2016). However, organic mango production around the world is still at a low level (Willer and Lernoud 2015).