Totapuri mango

Totapuri, named for its distinctive parrot-beak ("tota" means parrot) shape, is a south Indian mango cultivar grown primarily for industrial pulp and concentrate. It is widely planted in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and dominates the Indian mango-pulp export trade despite being considered inferior to many table cultivars in flavour.

Key characteristics

Fruit shape: beak-shaped (parrot-beak), large
Primary use: industrial pulp and concentrate
Processing traits: large fruit, small seed and high pulp recovery
Flavour profile: lower total soluble solids, lower viscosity and lower carotenoid content than table cultivars such as Mallika and Sindura, but well-suited to processing

Cultivation

Totapuri is propagated by softwood and veneer grafting on local mango rootstock. Conventional 8-10 m spacing is common, and high-density variants such as 3 x 2 m UHDP (Mango Orchard Establishment Hdp) report among the highest yields in the system (18-20 t/ha). Canopy training (Mango Canopy Training Pruning) and flowering management (Mango Flowering Management) are widely used.

Pest and disease profile

Susceptible to mango hopper, mealybug, anthracnose, powdery mildew and fruit fly (Fruit Fly Orchard Pest). Standard IPM and timed fungicide programmes apply.

Adoption and use

Totapuri is the workhorse cultivar of the Indian mango-pulp industry, with the pulp passed through a 0.7 mm sieve and packaged in aseptic cans and bulk barrels for export. It is also used for slices, juice concentrate and value-added products (Mango Value Addition Rolls Thandra). Among the table-grade cultivars in the same growing belts, including Banganapalli (Mango Banganapalli Beneshan), Alphonso (Mango Alphonso), Kesar (Mango Kesar), Dasheri (Mango Dasheri) and Himayat (Mango Himayat Himam Pasand), Totapuri occupies a distinct industrial-processing niche.

References

Physico-chemical characterization of Sindura, Mallika and Totapuri mangoes. PubMed Central.
Totapuri Mango Pulp - Product Specification. Taj Agro.