Glossary

Fertilization in plant reproduction is the union of reproductive cells following successful pollen-tube growth. It differs from fertilizing a tree with nutrients, even though everyday language uses similar words. In mangoes it leads to development of a sexually produced embryo and supports normal seed and fruit development. Pollination can occur without successful fertilization, and a fertilized flower can still lose its fruitlet later. Consider these separate stages when asking why a heavily flowering tree did not produce a crop.

Fruit set is the transition from flowers to developing fruitlets. In mangoes, initial set is only the beginning of the crop: many small fruitlets are subsequently shed before harvest. Flower disease, weather, pollination, fertilization, and the tree's resources can all affect the process. Record when fruitlets appear and when losses occur, because a tree that never sets fruit presents a different problem from one that sets well but later drops developing mangoes.