Effect of Fruit Position in the Canopy on Physiological Age and Physicochemical Composition of Mango 'Cogshall'

By comparing three harvest stages of mango fruit ('Cogshall'), corresponding to two green mature stages (106 and 120 days after full bloom) and one stage at the onset of the climacteric rise (127 to 130 days after full bloom) called 'yellow point', we found relationships between harvest stage and changes in some ripening and sensorial descriptors based on the fruit position in the canopy (fruit and its fruit-bearing branch were either well-exposed to light or were within the canopy; treatments named "well-exposed" and "shaded" fruit, respectively). Dry matter content and final sugar content (mainly sucrose) were lower in shaded fruit. Similar aromatic compounds were found in ripe fruit, but their contents depended on the fruit position in the canopy. Total aroma content decreased with the harvest stage, but this decrease was mainly due to the drop off in terpenes content, the most abundant class. After ripening, shaded fruit had a lower content of terpenes (especially delta-3-carene) and lactones compared with well-exposed fruit. Most of these differences decreased with the harvest stage and were minimal at the latest harvest stage, corresponding to the yellow point stage.These results showed that the environmental conditions within the tree have an effect on the development of mango fruit, and so on their physiological age. Pruning to facilitate access to light within the canopy is particularly important for obtaining homogeneous batches of fruit. Moreover, the mixing of well-exposed and shaded fruits harvested at different "green mature" stages will induce heterogeneity and differences in quality of ripe fruit within the marketing network.