Abstracto
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Damage from latex (DPL) represents a problem in Mexican mango, causing up to 10 % of annual losses. DPL begins when exuded
latex touches the fruit’s skin, producing a superficial darkness that diminishes mango quality and commercial value. Previous studies
in mango suggest that terpens favor damage from latex through the activation of polyphenoloxidases (PPO’s). The objective of this
study was to determine the correlation between damage from latex and the activity of total PPO’s of the exocarp and latex in ‘Haden’
and ‘Tommy Atkins’ mangoes harvested in April, May, and June in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, México. Enzyme activity was mea-
sured with a spectrophotometer and susceptibility to DPL was evaluated as the percentage of damaged area. Activity of exocarp total
PPO’s was similar for ‘Tommy Atkins’ and ‘Haden’ during the first two harvest seasons, and it only increased for ‘Tommy Atkins’ in the
last harvest season. Susceptibility to DPL showed contrasting performance between both cultivars. In ‘Haden’ it increased throughout
the three seasons while it decreased in ‘Tommy Atkins’. Therefore, total activity of exocarp PPO’s and damage from latex do not
explain susceptibility to DPL in Mexican mango. We suggest including the analysis of other components and latex enzymes in future
experiments on susceptibility to DPL.