India’s Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) is set to launch new varieties of mango and guava with higher nutritional value and better shelf life on to the market.
Governed by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), CISH is to release a new hybrid mango variety - Hybrid-39 - and three new cultivars of guava - CISH-G-1, CISH-G-5 and CISH-G-6 - within the next few months.
“We are in the process of propagating the plant material for the fields. Once the varieties are released, agriculture institutions and others will rush to us, seeking the new cultivars,” said CISH director B M C Reddy.
Principal scientist Shailendra Rajan said of Hybrid-39: “Unlike other mango varieties, it will have a high carotenoid content, so the fruit will be rich in vitamin A. Besides this, the hybrid will be sweeter than other mango varieties, as it has high total soluble solid content.
“The new variety has a regular fruit-bearing feature. Normally, mango trees give fruits every alternate year,” he added, also noting that the fruit’s firm texture will extend shelf life.
The new guava varieties in the pipeline have a higher antioxidant content than other varieties, said CISH scientists, along with a good yield and a long shelf life.
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