Mango Glossary | Mango Database

Explore Mango Terminology

Browse definitions and growing concepts to expand your mango knowledge.

Showing 8–14 of 35 terms

Air Layering

Air layering is encouraging a branch to form roots while it remains attached to the parent plant, commonly by treating a wounded section and enclosing it in moist medium. Although it works well for some fruit species, mango is generally propagated more reliably by grafting onto seedling rootstocks. A layer must develop adequate roots before separation, and roots can be fragile afterward. Do not assume a technique demonstrated on another tropical fruit will give the same success or tree structure on mango.

Bud Break

Bud break is the stage when a resting bud begins visible growth. On mangoes it may lead to a leafy shoot, a flower panicle, or mixed growth depending on the bud and conditions. Swelling and opening are useful observations, but they do not prove a new graft has fully healed because stored reserves can support early activity. Record subsequent growth and hardening, and avoid disturbing a tender graft simply because its buds have started to move.

Budwood

Budwood is plant material carrying buds intended for propagation, commonly selected shoots from an identified mother tree. In mango collecting the term is sometimes used loosely for scion wood even when an entire scion, rather than a single bud, will be grafted. The source tree, shoot maturity, health, and label all matter. Keep batches separate and protected from drying; recognizable leaves or a seller's name do not replace reliable provenance and clean propagation practices.

Callus

Callus is tissue formed as plant cells divide in response to injury or certain propagation conditions. At a mango graft it contributes to healing around the joined surfaces, but a visible swelling is not proof of a complete vascular connection. A scion can open buds briefly using stored reserves before failing. Judge graft success by sustained healthy growth and a sound union over time, while preventing wrapping material from becoming a constricting band.

Cambium

Cambium is a thin region of actively dividing cells between the inner bark and the wood of a woody stem. During mango grafting, close alignment of living cambial regions helps the scion and rootstock form a functioning connection. Matching outer bark alone may not provide that contact when stems differ in thickness. Clean cuts, secure wrapping, and protection from movement support healing; pushing two cut surfaces together does not guarantee that their living tissues are correctly aligned.

Clone

A clone is a plant or group of plants produced from one source through asexual reproduction and generally sharing its genotype, apart from possible mutations. Mango grafting preserves the scion as a clone of the selected source rather than creating a new seedling genotype. Clonal identity does not make all trees perform identically: rootstock, soil, climate, health, and management still matter. A clone is also not automatically disease-free, so propagation hygiene and trustworthy source material remain important.

Cocktail Tree

A cocktail tree is a fruit tree carrying more than one grafted cultivar. On a mango cocktail tree, each successfully grafted branch retains its own cultivar identity, offering variety within limited planting space. The arrangement does not guarantee balanced growth: a vigorous branch can shade or overtake weaker grafts, so labeling and selective pruning matter. Different harvest seasons may broaden the picking window where the cultivars perform appropriately, but combining branches does not make an unsuitable climate suitable for mango production.