agrotechnology

1. Mangosteen
Garcinia mangostana L

2. Origin and Distribution
• Its origin is in Southeast Asia, probably the
Malay Archipelago.
• It can now be found in Northern Australia,
Brazil, Burma, Central America, Hawaii,
Southern India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri
Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and other
tropical countries.

3. Folklore
• In the mangosteen’s native lands and abroad it
is often referred to as ‘The Queen of Fruits’.
• According to folklore, this nickname comes from
Queen Victoria’s strong liking for the
mangosteen and the idea that she would readily
reward anyone who could bring the fruit to her in
England.
• The task proved nearly impossible, however,
since the fruit and its seed are perishable and
sensitive to dry and cold weather.

4. Introduction
• Mangosteen is one of the most widely recognized
tropical fruits and has universal appeal because of its
quality in color, shape and flavor. Demand often
exceeds supply.
• The fruit is 2 - 3 cm in diameter. A thick reddish-purple
rind covers the aril or pulp which is segmented like that
of an orange. The white, moist, soft and juicy flesh is
sweet and aromatic, has high sugar content, but is low in
vitamins and minerals.
• It is usually eaten fresh, but can be stored successfully
for short periods of time. It is also canned, frozen, or
made into juice, preserves, and syrup.

5. Plant
• Unknown in the wild state, mangosteen is found
only as a cultivated female tree (male trees
appear non-existent) and may be a ‘fortuitous’
hybrid between two sister species (G.
malaccensis and G. hombroniana).
• It is an apomictic polyploid* that is
morphologically intermediate between these two
species. Moreover, genetic variation is minimal
and no cultivars have been reported. Hence, it
has been suggested that all trees may have
come from a single clone.

6. *Definition of apomictic polyploid plant
• A plant with more than 2 sets
(diploid) of the basic chromosome
number (haploid) where
reproduction in which sexual
organs play their role but no
fertilization takes place and the
resulting seed is vegetatively
produced.

7. Contd/-
• Because mangosteen is difficult to
propagate vegetatively, most trees are
produced from seeds which remain viable
for only a few days.
• Grown primarily in back yards and
gardens, these attractive pyramidal
evergreen trees grow to a height of 6 - 25
meters.

8. Contd/-
• Some effort has been made to establish
commercial orchards, however, obstacles
yet to be overcome include (a) difficulties
in propagation, (b) the slow growth period,
(c) problems in harvesting, (d)and yield.
• Mangosteen requires a wet lowland
tropical climate and moist well-drained
soil high in organic matter.

9. Tree
The mangosteen tree is very slow-growing,
erect, with a pyramidal crown;
has dark-brown or nearly black, flaking
bark, the inner bark containing much
yellow, gummy, bitter latex which is often
noticed leaking from the tree.

10. Leaves
• The evergreen, opposite, short-stalked
leaves are ovate-oblong or elliptic,
leathery and thick, dark-green, slightly
glossy above, yellowish-green and dull
beneath; 9 - 25 cm long, 4.5 - 10 cm wide,
with conspicuous, pale midrib.
• New leaves are rosy in colour.

11. Oblong-ovate or elliptical leaves

12. Flowers
• Flowers, 4 - 5 cm wide and fleshy, may be male
or hermaphrodite (possess both male and
female reproductive structures) on the same
tree.
• The male flowers are in clusters of 3 - 9 at the
branch tips; there are 4 sepals and 4 ovate,
thick, fleshy petals, green with red spots on the
outside, yellowish-red inside, and many stamens
though the aborted anthers bear no pollen.

13. • The hermaphrodite flowers are borne
terminally, either singly or in pairs on
shoot tips and mature branches
• their petals may be yellowish-green edged
with red or mostly red, and are quickly
shed.
• mangosteen usually flowers only once
annually, however, flowering can occur
twice annually following a dry period.

14. Flowers (Hermaphrodite)
Consists of 4 petals, white or cream
colored, 4 sepals an one ovary, globose
with one thick stigma

15. Pollination Requirements
• Mangosteen is an obligate apomict in
which reproduction is entirely asexual
(parthenogenesis).
• There are no verified reports of pollen
production, floral visitors which might be
viewed as pollinators, nor of nectar
production in mangosteen

16. Fruit
• The sub-globose fruit, which is 4 – 8 cm in diameter
ripens a dark reddish-violet to purple color. It may be
smooth or marked with brownish scars.
The fruit is capped by the prominent calyx (composed of
sepals) at the stem end and with 4 to 8 triangular, flat
remnants of the stigma in a rosette at the apex

18. • The calyces and stigmatic lobes persist
until the fruit is ripe, and the number of
stigmatic lobes is indicative of the number
of internal segments, which are easily
separated from the rind.
• The thick tough pericarp or rind exudes a
bitter yellowish resin, especially when
unripe.

19. The rind is 6 - 10 mm thick,
red in cross-section,
purplish-white on the inside.
It contains bitter yellow latex and
a purple, staining juice.
There are 4 to 8 triangular
segments of snow-white, juicy,
soft flesh (actually the arils of
the seeds).
(Aril – fleshy outer covering of the
seed in addition to the seed coat)

20. • The juicy pulp has a sweet-tart flavor;
usually only 1 to 3 of the segments contain
seeds, which are oblong bodies of about
2.5 cm long and 0.8 cm in diameter.
• The flesh is slightly acid and mild to
distinctly acid in flavor and is acclaimed as
exquisitely luscious and delicious.

21. Pulp

22. Climate and Soil
• Classified as an ultra-tropical plant, the mangosteen tree
is very hard to cultivate in areas far from the tropics. For
proper growth the tree needs high humidity, plentiful
precipitation and a consistent temperature between 50
and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many efforts have been made to cultivate the
mangosteen outside of the tropical range with very little
success. The stubborn seed does not keep more than a
few days when taken out of a very humid habitat, and
even if the seed is transported safely (usually in peat
moss), the tree will not grow unless the climate is strictly
maintained.

23. • It cannot tolerate temperatures below 5º
C, nor above 38º C. Nursery seedlings are
killed at 7.5º C.
• It is limited in Malaysia to elevations below
1450 m. Attempts to establish it north of
200 latitude have all failed.
• It ordinarily requires high atmospheric
humidity and an annual rainfall of at least
127 cm, and no long periods of drought

24. Soil
• The tree is not adapted to limestone and does
best in deep, rich organic soil, especially sandy
loam or laterite.
• Sandy alluvial soils are unsuitable and sand low
in humus contributes to low yields.
• The tree needs good drainage and the water
table ought to be about 1.8 m below ground
level.
• The mangosteen must be sheltered from strong
winds and salt spray, as well as saline soil or
water.

25. Propagation
• Mangosteen is difficult to propagate
vegetatively, most trees are produced
from seeds which remain viable for only a
few days.
• The juvenile phase may last 5 to 15 years
depending on growing conditions

26. • Technically, the so-called "seeds" are not
true seeds but adventitious embryos, or
hypocotyl tubercles, inasmuch as there
has been no sexual fertilization.
• When growth begins, a shoot emerges
from one end of the seed and a root from
the other end. But this root is short-lived
and is replaced by roots which develop at
the base of the shoot.

27. • The process of reproduction being
vegetative, there is naturally little variation
in the resulting trees and their fruits. Some
of the seeds are polyembryonic, producing
more than one shoot.
• The individual nucellar embryos can be
separated, if desired, before planting.

28. • Inasmuch as the percentage of
germination is directly related to the
weight of the seed, only plump, fully
developed seeds should be chosen for
planting. Even these will lose viability in 5
days after removal from the fruit, though
they are viable for 3 to 5 weeks in the fruit.

29. Germination media
• Seeds packed in lightly dampened peat
moss, sphagnum moss or coconut fiber in
airtight containers have remained viable
for 3 months.
• Only 22% germination has been realized
in seeds packed in ground charcoal for 15
days.

30. Seed treatmnet
• Soaking in water for 24 hours expedites
and enhances the rate of germination.
Generally, sprouting occurs in 20 to 22
days and is complete in 43 days.

31. Uniform young seedlings raised from seeds

32. Nursery and Transplanting
Because of the long, delicate taproot and
poor lateral root development,
transplanting is very difficult. It must not be
attempted after the plants reach 60 cm. At
that time the depth of the taproot may
exceed that height.

33. • There is greater seedling survival if seeds are
planted directly in the nursery row than if first
grown in containers and then transplanted to the
nursery.
• The nursery soil should be 1 m deep, at least.
The young plants take 2 years or more to reach
a height of 30 cm, when they can be taken up
with a deep ball of earth and set out.
• Fruiting may take place in 7 to 9 years from
planting but usually not for 10 or even 20 years.

34. Cantuman baji (bud grafting)
• Of several vegetative propagation
techniques conducted (with the objective
of shortening the juvenile stage), bud
grafting is the most successful.
• However, the resulting plants from bud
grafting are asymmetrical and take a
much longer period to grow when
compared with those planted from seeds.

35. • Grafted plants mature late and require
constant care in the field.
• The only advantage is these plants could
be grown in backyard or house compound
as the plants is rather small in size and
within reach of picking when harvesting,
and pesticide applications.

36. • The technique involve healthy rootstock
30 – 35 cm tall chosen from raised
seedling of about 2 yrs old. At this stage,
the stem is about the size of the scion
(dahan tunas) with a girth of 1.6 – 2.0 cm.
• (Read up about grafting techniques)

37. Bud-grafted seedling

38. Culture
• A spacing of 10 -12 m is recommended.
Planting is preferably done at the
beginning of the rainy season.
• Pits 1 x l x l.5 m are prepared at least 30
days in advance, enriched with organic
matter and topsoil and left to weather.

39. • The young tree is put in place very
carefully so as not to injure the root and
given a heavy watering.
• Partial shading with palm fronds or by
other means should be maintained for 3 to
5 years.

40. Trees grown under shade provided
by bamboo baskets

41. Shaded under coconut fronds (R)
and coconut trees (L)

42. 5-yr old plant

43. • Some of the most fruitful mangosteen
trees are growing on the banks of
streams, lakes, ponds or canals where the
roots are almost constantly wet.
• However, dry weather just before
blooming time and during flowering
induces a good fruit-set.

44. • Where a moist planting site is not available,
irrigation ditches should be dug to make it
possible to maintain an adequate water supply
and the trees are irrigated almost daily during
the dry season.
• In Malaysia (& Sri Lanka), it is a common
practice to spread a mulch of coconut husks or
fronds to retain moisture

45. Drip irrigation

46. Harvesting
• Ripeness is gauged by the full development of
color and slight softening.
• Picking may be done when the fruits are slightly
under-ripe but they must be fully mature
(developed) or they will not ripen after picking.
• The fruits must be harvested by hand from
ladders or by means of a cutting pole and not be
allowed to fall.

47. Keeping Quality (Storage)
• In dry, warm, closed storage,
mangosteens can be held 20 to 25 days.
Longer periods cause the outer skin to
toughen and the rind to become rubbery;
later, the rind hardens and becomes
difficult to open and the flesh turns dry.

48. • Ripe mangosteens keep well for 3 to 4 weeks in
storage at 5º-13º C. Trials in India have shown
that optimum conditions for cold storage are
temperatures of 4º- 6º C and relative humidity of
85 to 90%, which maintain quality for 49 days.
• It is recommended that the fruits be wrapped in
tissue paper and packed 25-to-the-box in light
wooden crates with (excelsior) padding.

49. Pests and Diseases
• Few pests have been reported. A leaf-eating
caterpillar of the moth family
Noctuidae, Stictoptera sp has been
reported to attack new shoots and young
leaves. Heavy infestation will result in
complete defoliation.

50. Leaf miner (Pelombong daun)
• Young seedlings quite frequently attacked
by larvae of the citrus moth Phyllocnitis
citrella, the adult of which is characterised
by its dull yellow wings.
• Larva mines (buries) itself in the tissues
underneath the leaf epidermis forming a
network of mines.
• Larva mature and pupates causing the
leaf to fold.

51. Phyllocnictis citrella Staint
(Fm: Lyontiidae)

52. Fruit borer (Curculionid beetle)
• Attacked developing fruit by laying eggs
on the surface and young larvae that
emerged gradually penetrate into the fruit.
• Larvae complete its life cycle together with
the ripening fruit. As many as 8 larvae
may be present in one fruit.
• causes fruit to drop to the ground and
mature larvae ready to pupate in the soil.

53. Curculio sp (Kumbang)

54. • the fungus, Zignoella garcineae, gives rise
to "canker"– tuberous growths on the
branches, causing a fatal dying-back of
foliage, branches and eventually the entire
tree.
• Infected trees must be destroyed by
chopping and burning all the tree parts.

55. • A major physiological problem called
"gamboge" is evidenced by the oozing of
yellow resins (latex) onto the outer surface
of the fruits and on the branches during
periods of heavy and continuous rains.
• The gum which stays within the fruit
causes the pulp to harden and gives it a
bitter taste.

56. Gummosis

57. • Fruit-cracking may occur because of
excessive absorption of moisture. In
cracked fruits the flesh will be swollen and
mushy.
• Bruising caused by the force of storms
may be an important factor in both of
these abnormalities. Fruits exposed to
strong sun may also exude resin or latex.

58. Food Uses
• To select the best table fruits, choose
those with the highest number of stigma
lobes at the apex, for these have the
highest number of fleshy segments and
accordingly the fewest seeds. The
numbers always correspond.
• Mangosteens are usually eaten fresh as
dessert.

59. • The fleshy segments are sometimes canned, but
they are said to lose their delicate flavor in
canning, especially if pasteurized for as much as
10 minutes.
• To make jam, in Malaysia, seedless segments
are boiled with an equal amount of sugar and a
few cloves for 15 to 20 minutes and then put into
glass jars.
• In the Philippines, a preserve is made by simply
boiling the segments in brown sugar, and the
seeds may be included to enrich the flavor.