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MANGOSTEEN : THE QUEEN OF FRUITS
Mangosteen is one of the most adorable fruits, regarded as the Queen of fruits, with exquisite,
uncomparable, appealing taste and flavor. It is one of the ‘finest fruits of the world.’ Presence of
sugar in a readily available form makes mangosteen very dear to hypoglycemic patients.
Mangosteen is believed to be originated in Malay Archipelago or in the Moluccas and Sunda islands.
Early domestication of the fruit happened in Thailand and Burma. Trees were introduced to India in
1881.
As legend has it, Queen Victoria of Britain was once told about a divinely delicious purple fruit, which
grew in far away Southeast Asia. The Queen made a promise to bestow knighthood on anyone who
would bring it to her but all efforts failed. The reason was that in the 19th century, the journey from
Southeast Asia took months and the delicate fruit would invariably go bad before reaching Britain.
Like durian, mangosteen also bears fruits at the same season. While the 'King of fruits' is considered
by the Chinese to be 'heaty' due to its rich and heavy flavor, the mangosteen possess just the
opposite, 'cooling' properties, having the most exquisite juicy snow-white flesh, sweet yet slightly
acid. All this is the reason why the mangosteen is honored with the high position of the Queen
among fruits.
Mangosteen cultivation is now common in Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Burma,
Malaysia, Vietnam, Hawaii and Trinidad. In India, mangosteen cultivation is successful in limited
parts of Nilgiris and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu, Southern parts of Kannada and Kodagu
districts of Karnataka and many parts of Kerala. Botanically, mangosteen is a very interesting plant
because the fruits develop through parthenocarpy. Parthenocarpy literally means ‘virgin fruit.’ Thus,
seeds develop without the effect of fertilization. The resulting seedlings are ‘true to type.’
Mangosteen is a medium-sized evergreen tree, 6 to 25 m tall with a straight trunk and evenly spaced
branches, which form a conical crown. The dark green shiny leaves are oblong to elliptical. Flowers
are female, produced at the ends of the branchlets, They have three persistent sepals which form
the crown of the fruits, and four petals, which are peach colored with red margins. The fruit is
rounded and dark purple when ripe. Each fruits weighs up to 120 g. The rind or pericarp, almost 1
cm thick, encloses the edible part or aril, which consists of 5 or 7 snowy white segments. The pulp is
very light and soft with an exquisite flavor, is best eaten fresh, preferably after chilling the fruit in a
refrigerator. The aril is a nutritious food containing high amounts of energy, vitamins and antioxidants. High amounts of flavones and xanthones make it as a rich source of anti-bacterial agents. It
can be processed into food preparations such as canned segments, candies, jam, pulp preserve,
toppings and flavoring for ice cream, sherbet and wine.
Mangosteen is a crop of humid tropical environment. It thrives in high temperature (up to 36º C) and
high humidity (up to 90 %) conditions. An annual rainfall of at least 200 cm is necessary for good
growth. The trees grows well up to an altitude of 1500 m. Mangosteen can grow on a wide range of
soils so long as they are not alkaline. Well drained deep clay loam rich in organic matter is ideal for
its cultivation. Slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 is good. Mangosteen is a shade-loving tree,
an both leaves and fruits are susceptible to sunburn. Shade is critical during early vegetative growth.
The seed of mangosteen is an asexual propagule, so the seedlings are true to type. Although
mangosteen can be propagated by grafting, trees obtained from seeds are found to be more
vigorous and yielding.
AGRO-TECHNIQUES
Large planting materials promote the rapid growth of seedlings in the nursery to the desired size of
100 to 170 cm or taller. Before moving plants from the nursery for field planting, gradually remove
the shade material to acclimatize the plants to the field environment. This reduces mortality in the
field.
For backyard or small-scale planting, 30 ft spacing is recommended between plants. A well drained
soil ensures deep and extensive root development, provided good aeration, and prevents water
logging and disease occurrence such as root rot. The pits should be 3x3x3 ft and fill 3/4th of the pit
with 1:1 mixture of top soil, FYM or compost. Digging and filling with undecayed organic matter may
be done a month before planting to promote decomposition of organic matter and weathering of
soil around the hole. When planting out, remove the ball of soil containing the plant from the
polybag and position it in the hole with minimum disturbance. Fill the remaining space with topsoil
or FYM or compost up to the level of the ground. Support the seedling with a stake.
Mangosteen needs an abundant supply of water. Soil moisture maintained at field capacity at all
times gives optimum plant growth. Young plants may require 2 or 3 liters of water every day during
dry months and this may be increased from 7 to 10 liters three times a week during the immature
stage. During initial fruiting stage, 50 to 60 l per application are needed. In prolonged dry periods,
trees may require 100 to 200 l per plant every three days.
Mangosteen is responsive to fertilizer applications. Soil nutrient sampling or leaf sampling to
determine fertilizer requirement is highly recommended. The slow growth of mangosteen can be
overcome by a combination of the application of granular fertilizer every two months to the soil
around the base of the plants with monthly foliar fertilizer application. A high fertilizer rate during
the immature stage in the field can shorten the juvenile period from six to four years. During
fruiting, foliar fertilizer may be applied to supplement inorganic fertilizers, to increase the size of the
fruits and the total yield. Please refer to the chart for fertilizer management.
Mangosteen requires partial shading to reduce sunlight by 40 to 60% within the first three year sof
establishment, which is then gradually reduced to full exposure to obtain optimum growth. In areas
with a pronounced dry season, it is a good practice always to grow mangosteen under partial shade.
Shade with mixed stand of banana or Red Lady variety of papaya are recommended. Banana planted
at a density of 1200 per ha can readily provide 40 to 60% shade within four to six months after
palnting. Ideally plant banana four to six months ahead of mangosteen. Similarly papaya can also be
grown to provide shade. Temporary shade can be provided with coconut fronds while waiting for
bananas to grow.