Breeding for low vigour in mango

Abstract

One of the aims of the Australian Mango Breeding Program is to breed low-vigour, short-statured trees suitable for high-density production systems. The program has employed four strategies towards this goal: (a) controlled hybridisation using hand pollination, (b) genetic analyses of progeny and families, (c) rootstock selection to induce dwarfing in scion cultivars and (d) molecular marker development for marker-assisted selection of low-vigour breeding progeny. Full-sib families in the breeding population have enabled breeding values to be calculated and superior parents to be selected. The same families have also facilitated the identification and development of markers associated with low vigour in mango.