Short communication Relationship of leaf and fruit transpiration rates to the incidence of spongy tissue disorder in two mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivars

The relationship of leaf and fruit transpiration rates with the incidence of spongy tissue in mango cultivars Dashahari (free from spongy tissue) and Alphonso (susceptible to spongy tissue) was investigated. Leaf transpiration rates were similar in both the cultivars, however the fruit transpiration rates were significantly higher in cv. Dashahari. Artificially induced variations in fruit transpiration rates using perforated polythene covers and vaseline coating of fruits also resulted in significant changes in the incidence of spongy tissue in cv. Alphonso. The significant and negative relationship observed between the fruit transpiration rate and the spongy tissue suggests that the lower fruit transpiration rates in cv. Alphonso are a varietal specific trait, which results in slower movement of water and minerals to the fruits from soil leading to the development of spongy tissue. # 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.