Potential of Edwards Mango Variety for Commercialization

[fruitnursery]

Hi,

I would like to ask if there is potential of commercializing Edwards Mango?

If I were to commercialize Edwards Mango.  Here are my questions:

1.  What will be the best planting distance for 10,000 square meter orchard? 5x5 or 10 x 10 meters?
2. Can I grow the Edwards mango organically?
3. Are there existing commercial orchards in other countries growing Edwards mango?
4. Post-harvest problems of Edwards Mango?
5. Can I rebrand Edwards Mango? (For marketing purposes)

My 3 year Edwards Mango tree if flowering and I am curious about its good feedback from growers in Florida and Hawaii.

Regards,

Berns

[Tropicalgrower89]

Based on what I've heard about edwards, the fruit is very high quality. But the production seems to be low. Here's a vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo0f3pVP2is

[Tropicalgrower89]

Some more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_%28mango%29

[LEOOEL]

If you have space for several mango trees, then Edwards is a great choice. It's a high quality fruit. But, it has a low yearly production of fruit. If your space is limited, it may be better to get another mango cultivar, like Keitt.

[bsbullie]

Edward, while an excellent quality mango, is a poor choice for commercialization.  There are two main reasons, 1) it is not only inconsistent in production from year to year it favors being on the shy size...in layman terms, a lot of tree for a little fruit; and 2) while for eating purposes its texture is juicy and creamy, that is also a downfall for commercial purposes.  It would have a poor shelf life and there would be lots of fruit loss between grower-distributor-market-consumer.

I would compare the Edward to many or most heirloom tomatoes...heirloom tomatoes are the king in flavor and great for home gardening or local farmers market sales but they do not hold up well for shipping and have a poor shelf life for commercial distribution.

[Tropicdude]

Edward is grown commercially in South America, and is actually not a bad producer,  in the tropics you can use KN03 effectively, and seems Edward is not that bad a producer that way.  if I can locate the video I will post the link, I know the video was in spanish.

[bsbullie]

Edward does not have an issue blooming...from the trees I have seen it seems to bloom rather well it is the fact it does not set and hold a great crop to maturity (2012 mango season being somewhat of an anomaly).  I am also curious as to where they send the mangoes as I have not seen Edward in the commercial market in the US.

[fruitnursery]

Edward is grown commercially in South America, and is actually not a bad producer,  in the tropics you can use KN03 effectively, and seems Edward is not that bad a producer that way.  if I can locate the video I will post the link, I know the video was in spanish.

Tropicaldude,

I think edwards mango will respond to kno3 since in our country we use kno3 as flower inducer to our carabao mangoes to fruit this variety throughout the year.  But its better to fruit edwards mango naturally and i think another flower inducing technique that maybe accepted by organic growers is smudging.  I'll try to research where in south america they produce edwards mango commercially.  Thanks.

Regards,

Berns

[Felipe]

Edward is grown commercially in South America, and is actually not a bad producer,  in the tropics you can use KN03 effectively, and seems Edward is not that bad a producer that way.  if I can locate the video I will post the link, I know the video was in spanish.

Where in SA is Edward grown commercially?  It's the first time I hear that...

I have to ratify Rob's words. Over here it also produces few fruit, but the quality is excellent. Bern, I would suggest you another cultivar, for example Keitt 

[JF]

Edward are alternate bearing excellent variety for southern California

[FloridaGreenMan]

Very poor producer in South Florida overall. A neighbor at my old house in Davie FL had a few Edward tree that produced poorly almost every year. He eventually replaced them. Seems like a very poor choice for commercialization at least here.       

[JF]

Very poor producer in South Florida overall. A neighbor at my old house in Davie FL had a few Edward tree that produced poorly almost every year. He eventually replaced them. Seems like a very poor choice for commercialization at least here.       

Eunice has been growing them for 30. I have pictures of her 2 trees that were loaded last Oct. I forgot the threads name. I have also observed an Edward tree in Santa Ana that's about 15 years old that an alternate bearer....

[FloridaGreenMan]

Very poor producer in South Florida overall. A neighbor at my old house in Davie FL had a few Edward tree that produced poorly almost every year. He eventually replaced them. Seems like a very poor choice for commercialization at least here.       

Eunice has been growing them for 30. I have pictures of her 2 trees that were loaded last Oct. I forgot the threads name. I have also observed an Edward tree in Santa Ana that's about 15 years old that an alternate bearer....

They may do better in a dry climate in Calif. due to your low humidity. Not the case here.         

[Squam256]

Edward isn't really an alternate bearer in Florida from what I've observed. Its a consistent bearer.....consistently low that is.

It has some good attributes though. It actually handles and ships fairly well as its a 'firm' (though not fibrous) fleshed fruit. The size can vary by the season....last year they were averaging 3/4 a pound per fruit, but in some seasons they can be closer to a pound. But generally they're a good size for commercial.  And of course the eating quality is outstanding....not that that matters much for large-scale commercial.

They can get really nice color depending on where their grown. Here's a pic of a crate of Edwards from last year's harvest (some Phillipine fruits mixed in):

[bsbullie]

Alex - funny, you find them firm?  To me, just the opposite (Kent & Keitt are firm...and of course, TA).  I do agree they are not alternate in Florida however I already made my statement regarding the shy production.

[fruitlovers]

Berns, i suggest you get a few Edwards trees growing. Knowing how they fruit in Florida, California, or S. America will not tell you much about how they will do in your location. Only way to know for sure is to try them out.

[Tropicdude]

Ok couldn't find the video I saw on the subject,  but I could confirm that it was in Peru, they do not export Edward to the US, but only to neighboring countries. and local market.

Here is a good document on how they treat the trees using PBZ and KN03.   ( in spanish )

http://www.revfacagronluz.org.ve/PDF/abril_junio2005/ra2051.pdf

[Squam256]

Alex - funny, you find them firm?  To me, just the opposite (Kent & Keitt are firm...and of course, TA).  I do agree they are not alternate in Florida however I already made my statement regarding the shy production.

They have a tiny amount of fiber that most people don't detect that gives them some degree of firmness. Similar to Kent in that regard, but the skin isn't as thick and that's the drawback.

Mangoes with softness qualities like Carrie, Bombay, Cogshall etc...these are in the category of essentially 'no firmness' and aren't really suitable for high volume commercial production. They are suitable for 'local commercial' though.

Edward's biggest drawback for large-volume commercial  is that it just doesn't produce that well in comparison to the established commercial cultivars.

One thing I forgot to mention is that Edward does have superior fungus resistant qualities to a few of the other commercial major commercial cultivars.

Overall though Berns, I have to side with not recommending Edward for commercial planting.  There are lots of better options that are more profit-friendly.

[fruitnursery]

Edward isn't really an alternate bearer in Florida from what I've observed. Its a consistent bearer.....consistently low that is.

It has some good attributes though. It actually handles and ships fairly well as its a 'firm' (though not fibrous) fleshed fruit. The size can vary by the season....last year they were averaging 3/4 a pound per fruit, but in some seasons they can be closer to a pound. But generally they're a good size for commercial.  And of course the eating quality is outstanding....not that that matters much for large-scale commercial.

They can get really nice color depending on where their grown. Here's a pic of a crate of Edwards from last year's harvest (some Phillipine fruits mixed in):

Hi,

Its interesting to see pics of Philippine and Edward Mangoes in the crate.  I wonder how do you compare the taste of the 2 varieties since Edwards is a cross of carabao and haden.  Which is better in in terms of taste?

[fruitnursery]

Berns, i suggest you get a few Edwards trees growing. Knowing how they fruit in Florida, California, or S. America will not tell you much about how they will do in your location. Only way to know for sure is to try them out.

Oscar,

Thanks Actually the edwards mango that you sent to me 3 years ago is now flowering.  And from the looks of it.  The guys here are right that it is a consistent bearer but a low producer from what I noticed on the flowering stage of the tree.  Well, I need to observe the tree first and have it assessed.  I will follow your suggestions by planting several trees of edwards mango.  From the looks of it, edwards is a medium growing mango variety that could be planted by 5 meters by 5 meters apart.

[bsbullie]

Alex - funny, you find them firm?  To me, just the opposite (Kent & Keitt are firm...and of course, TA).  I do agree they are not alternate in Florida however I already made my statement regarding the shy production.

They have a tiny amount of fiber that most people don't detect that gives them some degree of firmness. Similar to Kent in that regard, but the skin isn't as thick and that's the drawback.

Mangoes with softness qualities like Carrie, Bombay, Cogshall etc...these are in the category of essentially 'no firmness' and aren't really suitable for high volume commercial production. They are suitable for 'local commercial' though.

Edward's biggest drawback for large-volume commercial  is that it just doesn't produce that well in comparison to the established commercial cultivars.

One thing I forgot to mention is that Edward does have superior fungus resistant qualities to a few of the other commercial major commercial cultivars.

Overall though Berns, I have to side with not recommending Edward for commercial planting.  There are lots of better options that are more profit-friendly.

I have had MANY an Edward and do not detect any fiber whatsoever.  I will also reiterate, once they are picked they seem to soften on a more rapid time frame than many others which obviously is not good for commercialization.  You are obviously correct, that they are no way in the Carrie and Cogshall class of texture but definitely in the class right below.

edit to add the word "had", in bold, which drastically changes the statement I was making.

[Squam256]

Edward isn't really an alternate bearer in Florida from what I've observed. Its a consistent bearer.....consistently low that is.

It has some good attributes though. It actually handles and ships fairly well as its a 'firm' (though not fibrous) fleshed fruit. The size can vary by the season....last year they were averaging 3/4 a pound per fruit, but in some seasons they can be closer to a pound. But generally they're a good size for commercial.  And of course the eating quality is outstanding....not that that matters much for large-scale commercial.

They can get really nice color depending on where their grown. Here's a pic of a crate of Edwards from last year's harvest (some Phillipine fruits mixed in):

Hi,

Its interesting to see pics of Philippine and Edward Mangoes in the crate.  I wonder how do you compare the taste of the 2 varieties since Edwards is a cross of carabao and haden.  Which is better in in terms of taste?

The Philippine pictured is the Pico Philippine rather than the Carabao, though they are similar.

To compare the taste...I like Philippine.....I LOVE Edward. I put Edward in the upper tier of mangoes as far as flavor is concerned.

[fruitnursery]

Edward isn't really an alternate bearer in Florida from what I've observed. Its a consistent bearer.....consistently low that is.

It has some good attributes though. It actually handles and ships fairly well as its a 'firm' (though not fibrous) fleshed fruit. The size can vary by the season....last year they were averaging 3/4 a pound per fruit, but in some seasons they can be closer to a pound. But generally they're a good size for commercial.  And of course the eating quality is outstanding....not that that matters much for large-scale commercial.

They can get really nice color depending on where their grown. Here's a pic of a crate of Edwards from last year's harvest (some Phillipine fruits mixed in):

Hi,

Its interesting to see pics of Philippine and Edward Mangoes in the crate.  I wonder how do you compare the taste of the 2 varieties since Edwards is a cross of carabao and haden.  Which is better in in terms of taste?

The Philippine pictured is the Pico Philippine rather than the Carabao, though they are similar.

To compare the taste...I like Philippine.....I LOVE Edward. I put Edward in the upper tier of mangoes as far as flavor is concerned.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.  Just recently, I tasted a Pico mango that was given by my friend who has several trees.  Pico mangoes can be eaten while they are green skinned stage, yellowish white flesh has a tart-sweet taste while when ripe, the flesh is very very sweet.  Pico mangoes are very rare nowadays in our country.   

[fruitnursery]

Hi,

I agree with all of your replies regarding how Edwards mango has a poor handling in the logistics area.  Probably because of the thin skin.  I could imagine because it is a cross between carabao and haden, it got the thin skin from carabao mango, in which in our case has a poor handling problem in logistics.  But some of our mango exporters have already remedy for this. 

Thanks for all your shared experiences in growing Edwards mango.    I think the best mango for me as far as Florida mango is concern is Keitt for its all around mango characteristics.  Funny thing is,  a mango grower in our country is branding Keitt mango as California Mango.  Probably because they are growing this in Coachella? Selling it at $2 a kilo and not per piece.