Karnataka's wild mangoes are now 'cultivated' too

Hundreds of forgotten wild mango varieties could soon make their way from river banks and backyards to rural fields and urban terraces.

In Mangaluru, a group of locals are documenting mango varieties from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, as well as Kerala’s Kasaragod district. While their unique taste and traditional uses have made them staples in homes for generations, the favourable genetic traits of wild mangoes further their breeding potential.

Now, wild mango varieties are being identified and grafted. With their quicker yield time and smaller canopy, grafted trees are ideal for smaller cultivation areas, even in city dwellings.

The Dakshina Kannada initiative plans to mainstream wild mangoes, and hence call it ‘naadu maavu’, meaning native or indigenous mangoes. The team of about 20 locals refer to themselves as the Naadu Maavu Mitraru’ (NaaMaaMi).

The group will be collecting cuttings of native mango plants, including well-known varieties. These will be given to a nursery for grafting. After four to five months, the grafted plants will be given to different homes. Recently, the group has distributed 15 varieties of local mangoes which were collected from a nursery run by another NaaMaaMi member, Sarvesh Rao.

The wild mangoes of Karnataka are generally smaller in size. They mostly grow on untended land. However, the NaaMaaMi initiative has identified several varieties that grow as big as commercial mangoes. For instance, the Baaymane Kasi variety, found in a village in Udupi, bears a mango that, when ripe, weighs anywhere between 700 grams an one kg.

“While Alphonso, Totapuri and Mallika are available everywhere, the indigenous mangoes which we all grew up eating are rare finds. They have different flavours and characteristics that make traditional dishes taste authentic,” said Dr Manohara Upadhya, a veterinary surgeon from Maroli in Mangaluru who is part of NaaMaaMi.

In addition, some naadu maavu varieties hold great promise for local farmers. “In our region, we experience heavy rains during the monsoon. The downpour generally destroys the fruits. However, native varieties bear fruit earlier in the year, by March or April. This protects them from rain damage,” said G Sri Krishna, a farmer from Veerakambha village in Dakshina Kannada district.

The native varieties also bring other benefits. “Varieties like Banganapalle do not grow well here, they are attacked by pests. However, I have had a plant of the local Bolwar Kasi variety for the past 37 years. It is highly disease resistant and grows quickly. The peel is sweet. Another family I know in Aiyanakatte in Sullia taluk grows a variety they have labelled Sundar. Each fruit weighs around 800 grams,” Sri Krishna adds.

Mangoes with such traits are central to breeding new varieties. At the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), favourable characteristics in each mango variety are identified through chemical profiling and DNA fingerprinting of the trees. “Karnataka has around 700 indigenous mango varieties. It is important to preserve these native varieties since many are highly disease resistant. Others have great nutritional value,” said M R Dinesh, retired director of IIHR.

The institute has been documenting wild mango varieties since the early 1970s. “As of 2021, we have identified and preserved over 550 varieties. Out of this, 280 are Appemidi varieties from districts such as Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga. The “passport data” of these trees, the village, latitude and longitude where they were found is recorded, following which cuttings are taken to plant three trees of each variety in our field gene bank,” he said.

Inspired by Kannapuram village in Kerala, declared an “Indigenous Mango Heritage Area”, NaaMaaMi collected cuttings in October of last year and planted them in a few homes and a local nursery. “Once they bear fruit, we will document the colour, taste and use of each variety and see if it is worth propagating,” said Upadhya.

This year, the group has identified close to 20 varieties grown by farmers in various districts. “Our goals are conservation and distribution. We shared our idea on social media, and got responses from farmers across the state. We are waiting for the monsoon to end, because the plants will bear tender shoots then, ideal for cutting and grafting,” Upadhya explained.

As of now, many of these varieties can only be found in one or two homes. If the mother plant is not preserved, these varieties would go extinct. By taking cuttings and grafting them in other homes, the aim is to preserve the varieties for future generations.