Genetic analysis of multiple fruit quality traits in mango across sites and years

A key strategy to improve fruit quality and consumer appeal in mangoes is to breed trait improvements into new cultivars. There are several key fruit quality traits in mango. Knowledge of the heritability and relationship among these traits is important for breeding success. This paper implements a linear mixed model analysis including paternal information for analysis of 13 important fruit quality traits from mango cultivars planted across three environments and assessed over several seasons. The traits analysed were average fruit weight, skin background colour, blush colour, percentage blush, blush intensity, skin thickness, beak shape, stem-end shape, deformities, mesocarp colour, mesocarp texture, seed width and mesocarp recovery. The analysis allows investigation into trait heritabilities and stability of traits over years and sites, as well as genetic correlations among traits.