Working out when to harvest your mangoes?

Figure 4 Individual mango flowers

Chelsea Moore

Flowering season is here for the mango industry and with it the promise of the harvest ahead. So it is a good time to start thinking about maturity indicators and which tools to use.

Heat sums

Heat sums are a way of predicting your maturity based on flowering information and seasonal temperature.  The formula adds the daily average temperatures until a pivotal heat unit is reached. You can calculate your own heat sums or use an online calculator.

For more information on the heat sum calculator and how to use it, go to the Northern Territory Government website.

Dry matter

Dry matter is essentially a calculation of the water content of fruit, it is an easy method for determining maturity. The Industry standard for dry matters at harvest is 15%.

Near infra read (NIR) spectroscopy

Near infra-red (NIR) spectroscopy guns are a non-invasive way to read the colour of your fruit flesh, and determine sweetness and maturity.

Flesh colour test

Some growers cut a set number of fruit to judge the internal quality before harvesting. You can request a set of flesh colour cards to compare against your crop by calling (08) 8999 2323 or emailing horticulture@nt.gov.au.