Gujarat's 2 kg mangoes stump scientists

VADODARA: Mangoes weighing over two kilograms apiece have caught the fancy of farmers and scientists alike in central Gujarat. These mangoes are not a miracle of genetic engineering or hybridization but the humble 'desi' variety that grows across the countryside.

The exceptionally large mangoes grow on a tree in the farm of Iqbal Khokhar in Shinor village on the banks of Narmada in Vadodara district. The fruit from this tree was recently displayed at the Krishi Mahotsava in Chhota Udepur.

A native of Shinor and deputy director in the animal husbandry department, Dr Snehal Patel, is among the people who have been highlighting this unique fruit. A mango orchard owned by Patel's family existed at the location and was sold later. But only two trees have survived now - one of them being the one that bears the jumbo-size mangoes.

Horticulture expert from Anand Agriculture University, Hemant Patel, said, "This is four to five times the size of even the Rajapuri mango. This phenomenon needs to be researched."