I always wondered why they need cold. Aren’t there varieties from Panama, Jamaica, El Salvador, and Haiti? Some those countries are zone 13. Is it a pronounced dry period that plays into it? Ghana is a mango producing country, its located 8 degrees north of equator. Let that sink in !
Sure, a number of varieties adapted to the tropics can achieve significant bloom with prolonged drought. That of course rarely happens here though when comparing south Florida average monthly rainfall level And that of many tropical areas where mangos flower regularly.
It also does not apply to numerous subtropical varieties (many mangos of Indian and Pakistani descent). Take a Chaunsa mango to the Philippines and it probably never flowers.
It would be incorrect to say all mangos can only flower off cold stimulus, and it would be equally incorrect to claim all mangos can flower off of drought stress.
And cold stimulus is definitely the strongest stimulus for influencing bloom among mangos in general, more so than drought stress, and most important to achieving widespread, regular bloom on mango in Florida.