Research progress of resin canal disorder in NT mangoes

Umar Muhammad

Figure 5. Resin canal in mangoes.

Figure 5. Resin canal in mangoes.

PhD candidate Umar Muhammad is researching resin canal disorder in mangoes with the Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative Horticultural Products, located at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture at the University of Tasmania.

Resin canal disorder (RCD) is a fruit quality defect found in Australian mangoes. It occurs sporadically and shows up as red-brown resin canals that form networks through the flesh and irregular brown mottling across the skin. RCD is most common in ‘Kensington Pride’ mangoes. Other than the visual appearance, RCD does not affect the eating quality and the defect only becomes evident when fruit are fully ripe. In some cases, RCD symptoms may only become visible after purchase. The causes of RCD are still unknown and it is sometimes confused with other skin browning disorders.

Umar spent a short period of time at the Department of Primary Industry and Resources Berrimah Agricultural Laboratory in Darwin in collaboration with Dr Cameron McConchie and Dr Lucy Tran-Nguyen in the 2017 harvest season. During his placement, Umar had the opportunity to sample a range of mango material (fruit, stem and leaves) from different commercial orchards around Darwin. Umar’s research will include using new molecular techniques such as Next-Generation Sequencing  and metagenomics to investigate differences in microbial community structures in RCD infected mango fruits in relation to provenance (farm location and farm history).

In the final stages of his 2017 research trials, Umar tested pre and post-harvest intervention options that may help to manage RCD. He experimented with non-destructive near-infrared techniques and modified atmospheric packaging to investigate the incidences of RCD under different storage conditions in mature fruit.

Umar is still processing the data he collected during the recent Northern Territory mango harvest and he is hoping the research will help to further develop management strategies to address RCD in mangoes. Umar is currently considering how his pre-harvest research trials and development of post-harvest interventions may be applied in the 2018 Northern Territory mango season.

Figure 6. Mango resin canal disorder studies in the NT: checking NIR of fruit (left), testing leaf samples (middle), post-harvest assessments (right).


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