Mangifera Indica, also known as mango, is one of the most popular tropical fruit in the

world. The genus Mangifera belongs to the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae that is
mainly of tropical species. Mangifera indica is an evergreen tree that grows upto a height
of 30 to 100 feet (Morton, 1987). It is a dome shaped tree which is heavily branched and
with dense foliage. It has simple alternate lanceolate to elliptical leaves that are spirally
arranged on its branches. The leaves are reddish in color when first formed and turn green
as it ages. When crushed, it releases an aromatic odor. It has more than hundreds of small,
yellow to red flowers that are mostly males and the rest are hermaphroditic. It grows in
erect, branched clusters 6 to 40 cm high (Parmar et al., 2010). The pollen grains are
prolate to spheroidal. The sizes are generally 25-30 micrometers and are tricolporate. The
outline of the pollen is triangular with convex sides and the sexine is often striate
(PollenLibrary, n.d.). The fruit is a large drupe that varies in shape, size, and color. The
immature fruit has green skin that turns to yellow to red skin as it matures (Parmar et al.,
2010). It also has a thick flesh ranging from color yellow to orange. It only has a single,
oblong, seed that is enclosed in a fibrous endocarp (Morton, 1987).
Mango is native to tropical regions especially Asia. Among Asian countries, Philippines
is one of the major producers of mango in the world (Tacio, 2009). Mango plantations in
the country reached 57,170 hectares in 1992 (Cacayan et al., 2007). In 2000, data from
the Department of Agriculture showed that mango plantations increased to 132,141
hectares (Dar et al., 2007). Mangoes are widely cultivated all over the country, but
leading production areas were Western Visayas, Central Luzon, and Ilocos Norte
(Cacayan et al., 2007). Nueva Ecija ranks among the highest producers of mangoes in the
country and is the top mango grower in Luzon, having vast plantations in its
municipalities. During peak harvest, Nueva Ecija produces 62 million kilos of mango
(Galang, 2011).
Mangifera indica is also widely known in the field of medicine. Different parts of the
plant are being used for hypertension, toothache, asthma, indigestion, and for other
medicinal purposes. Although mango plant is a good source of vitamins such as betacarotene and vitamin C, it has also been a source of respiratory allergens (Parmar et al.,
2010). One of these respiratory allergens is pollen. Mangoes have large sticky pollens
that when in bloom causes itching, facial swelling, and respiratory difficulty to some
people (Moore, 2004). Various studies were conducted regarding mango pollen
allergenicity. In Bangkok, Thailand, 100 patients of ages 10 to 59 years with allergic
rhinitis were subjected to skin prick test. 16 percent of the patients tested positive for
mango pollen allergy (Mahakit et al., 1997). In Mexico, 71 atopic subjects of ages 14 to
40 years old were also subjected to skin prick test and 66 percent of the patients tested
positive for mango pollen allergy (Farfan et al., 1991). In South Florida, mango is one of
the most common allergy producers and 20 percent of the population is positive to mango
pollen allergy according to Dr. Robert J. Brennan (Borenstein, 1992). In West Bengal, 10
percent of 180 patients subjected to skin prick test showed positive response mango
pollen allergy (Bhattacharya et al., 2004).

References:
Bhattacharya K., Boral D., & Chatterjee S. (2004). The occurrence and allergising
potential of airborne pollen in West Bengal, India. Ann Agric Environ Med, 11, 4552.
Borenstein, S. (1992, January 14). Mangoes A Bloomin Pain For People With Allergies.
Retrieved from http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1992-01-14/news/9201030260_1_mangotrees-pollen-mango-skin.
Cacayan, J.S., Fandialan, M. M., Pineda, F. G., & Santiago, N. C. (2007). In-vitro effect
of neem (Azadirachta indica Juss.) and onion (Allium cepa L.) extracts against
Lasiodiplodia theobromae Pat causing mango stem- end rot infection. The Journal of
Tropical Biology, 5, 13-15.
Dar, J. D., Domingo, J. C., Fandalian, M. M., & Santiago, N. C. (2007). Effect of neem
and onion extracts against mango (Mangifera indica L.) anthracnose infection caused by
Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz. The Journal of Tropical Biology, 5, 28-31.
Farfan Ale, J. A., Moguel Banos, M. T., Noguchi, H, Sanchez Solis, L., Vargas Correa, J.
B., Vargas de la Pena, M. I. (1991). Allergological study of pollen of mango (Mangifera
indica) and cross reactivity with pollen of piru (Schinus molle). Rev Alerg, 38(5), 134-8.
Galang, A. (2011, August 26). Korean food firm explores mango supply agreement with
Nueva Ecija. Retrived from http://business.inquirer.net/15187/korean-food-firm-exploresmango-supply-agreement-with-nueva-ecija#ixzz3YzjvBqpZ
Mahakit, P., Pumhirun, P., & Towiwat, P. (1997). Aeroallergen sensitivity of Thai patients
with allergic rhinitis. Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol, 15(4), 183-5.
Mango (Mangifera). (n.d.). In PollenLibrary. Retrieved May 5, 2015, from
http://www.pollenlibrary.com/Genus/Mangifera/
Moore, L. M. (2004, August 12). Mango. Retrieved from
http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/doc/cs_main3.docx
Morton, J. (1987). Mango. Fruits of Warm Climates, 221-239.
Parmar, P.K., Patel, M. B., Patel, R. J., & Shah, K. A. (2010). Mangifera indica (Mango).
Pharmacogn Rev, 4(7), 4248.
Tacio, H. D. (2009, August 2). The Basics of Propagating the Philippine Mango.
Retrieved from http://www.gaiadiscovery.com/agriculture-industry/the-basics-ofpropagating-the-philippine-mango.html