Introduction and history of cashew cultivation. The location of Côte d’Ivoire promotes the cultivation of cashew (Anacardium occidentale) in the northern half of the country. Indeed, introduced in 1960 to fight against erosion and halt the advancing desert, this crop has become a perennial source of income for more than 150,000 farmers gathered in twenty cooperatives and allows more than 1.5 M people to earn a living. The Ivorian cashew production increased from 6,000 t·year-1 in 1990 to 330,000 t·year-1 in 2008, with a forecast of 350,000 t·year-1 in 2009. Organization of the cashew sector. However, the sector is facing enormous problems including the disorganization of operators and the non-processing of cashews. The disorganization of the sector’s operators does not promote collaborative resolution of issues of common interest. This results in all sorts of speculation by intermediaries. The existing structures do not work synergistically, so that the price of cashew per kg paid to producers varies in the same country, from one region to the other, and even according to the buyers. Strategic and institutional environment. The problems of processing cashew nuts are due on the one hand to the investment code that does not favor the installation of medium-sized processing units (2,500 t·year-1) and, on the other hand, to private banks which require too many guarantees to fund investors. Conclusion. The cashew industry has a future in Côte d’Ivoire provided that the operators are organized, and that the Ivorian state establishes a regulatory and institutional framework to facilitate the installation of investors.

Introduction Le baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) est un arbre caractéristique du paysage agricole dans les zones semi-arides d’Afrique. Il est utilisé quotidiennement par la population locale africaine. La diversité des services et des produits du baobab suggère d’effectuer une évaluation de sa variabilité morphologique afin d’avoir une meilleure connaissance de son potentiel. Notre article a cherché à identifier des descripteurs morphologiques discriminants chez le baobab en relation avec la diversité agro-écologique du Mali. Matériel et méthodes Notre évaluation a concerné huit provenances de baobab reparties sur l’ensemble de son aire de distribution géographique au Mali. Elle a porté sur les caractères foliaires, fruitiers et sur ceux liés aux graines. Le coefficient de variation a été utilisé pour évaluer la variabilité. Les données ont été analysées par analyse de variance et analyse multi-variée. Résultats Une importante variabilité a été observée selon les provenances et les descripteurs utilisés. Les descripteurs morphologiques discriminants pour les baobabs que nous avons échantillonnés ont été la longueur et la largeur des fruits, la longueur du pédoncule des fruits, la longueur, la largeur et le nombre de lobes des feuilles.

Introduction Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a crop of major economic importance in the provinces of Malaga and Granada (SE Spain). A field experiment on mango trees was designed to determine the optimum irrigation scheduling over three seasons. The aim was to evaluate the impact of sustained-deficit irrigation (SDI) strategies on fruit yield and quality, tree growth, and mineral status under a Mediterranean subtropical climate. Materials and methods. Three sustained-deficit irrigation treatments were applied to mango trees: SDI-1 (33% ETc), SDI-2 (50% ETc) and SDI-3 (75% ETc). The stress treatments were compared with a control (C-100) irrigated at 100% ETC. The response of fruit yield, number of fruits, fruit size and quality, and macro- and micronutrients in leaves was determined. Results. The SDI-2 treatment proved to be the most appropriate SDI treatment, since it allowed the trees to reach the highest yield (18.4 t·ha-1) and the best water-use efficiency (7.14 kg·m-3). However, fruit size was higher for trees of the SDI-3 and C-100 treatments, since they reached significantly higher length and width. The total soluble solids were affected by the SDI treatments only for one year, being highest in fruits from trees of the SDI-1 and SDI-2 treatments. Macro- and micronutrients in the leaves were affected by the SDI treatment only for the P, Mg and Mn contents. Conclusion The SDI treatment providing 50% of ETC is recommended for mango orchards in order to attain the highest yields and the best water-use efficiency under a Mediterranean subtropical climate.

Introduction. Films act as semi-permeable gaseous barriers capable of maintaining fruit postharvest quality; thus coatings consisting of non-traditional sources may represent an alternative tool for producers. The objective of our work was to investigate the effect of a galactomannan coating on postharvest quality and physiology of ‘Tommy Atkins’ mangoes. Materials and methods. Physiologically mature mangoes were divided into four lots and stored for 16 d. Control uncoated fruits (lot 1) were stored at ambient temperature (25 °C), the second lot was uncoated and refrigerated (14 °C), the third lot was coated and stored at ambient temperature, and the fourth lot was coated and refrigerated. Fruit were analyzed for physicochemical quality parameters, antioxidant enzymatic activity and lipid peroxidation. Results and discussion. Control fruit (lot 1) lost almost twice the weight of uncoated refrigerated (lot 2) and coated mangoes at both temperatures (lots 3 and 4); the fruit of lot 1 softened faster. Regarding the antioxidant enzymes, the activity of superoxide dismutase decreased throughout storage without statistical differences between treatments and catalasic activity was significantly inhibited under refrigeration. At ambient temperature, coating delayed the catalasic activity peak to day 12, which was coincident with the lowest lipid peroxidation degree, evidencing the association of free radical production and scavenging mechanisms. The galactomannan coating was efficient in reducing weight loss and delaying softening; thus, it maintained quality of ‘Tommy Atkins’ mangoes for a longer period of time than the control treatment during storage at ambient temperature. Refrigeration (14 °C) enhanced the performance of the galactomannan coating; it was effective in slowing down the metabolism and delaying softening to day 12.

Introduction. Mango conservation under traditional refrigeration systems is not totally efficient due to the susceptibility of this fruit to chilling injury, but controlled atmosphere (CA) in association with low temperature can improve its storability and maintain fruit quality during storage. Thus, the aim of our study was to determine the effect of CA with varied concentrations of oxygen during cold storage (12.8 ° C) of ‘Palmer’ mango fruit. Materials and methods. Mature green mango fruit were stored in atmospheres with (1%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 21%) oxygen at (12.8  ±  0.6) °C and RH ~95%) for up to 28 days. A group of fruits without CA was stored in a cold room and served as tray-stored control. Fruit ripening was carried out in ambient conditions [(25.2  ±  0.6) °C, (92.8  ±  2.4)% RH)] at intervals of 14 d. Results and discussion. Fruits stored in low-oxygen concentrations [(1%, 5% and 10%) O2] had significantly lower rates of CO2 production after 14 d of cold storage. Fruit from all treatments were considered immature after 28 d of cold storage, and the mangoes kept at (1%, 5% and 10%) O2 maintained their initial firmness (119.9–125.6 N) when compared with those stored in higher oxygen atmospheres, which underwent a substantial loss of firmness (96.8–109.1 N). At low-oxygen levels, fruit also had lower contents of soluble pectin and total soluble sugars, whereas colour parameters were not affected by the atmospheres. After transfer from CA containers to ambient conditions, even from the lowest oxygen concentrations [(1% and 5%) O2], fruit ripened normally in just 8 d without presenting any low oxygen-related injury.

Introduction. Many desirable properties make cloudy fruit juice widely produced according to consumer acceptance. The pulp of mango (Mangifera indica L.), a good source of carbohydrates and water, has many uses including the production of juice. Nowadays, the use of food enzymes has become widespread in the juice industry for various reasons. However, the application of enzymes has not yet been tested in the context of the production of cloudy mango juice, except for the stabilization of nectars. Thus, the aim of our study was to examine and optimize some parameters involved in the enzymatic production of cloudy mango juice. Materials and methods. To achieve our objective, we used Response Surface Methodology (RSM) by combining five factors: time (30–50 min), temperature (35–55 °C), pH 4–5.5, Pectinexr Ultra SP-L (20–40 μL·L-1) and Cellubrixr L (15–25 μL· L-1). Results and discussion. The study of juice yield, cloud stability and the browning index showed that the coefficients of determination (R2 values) of these traits with the studied parameters were greater than 0.900. The optimized juice yield, cloud stability and browning index varied with specific values chosen for the five parameters mentioned above. Conclusions. Finally, the use of 30 μ L·L-1 Pectinexr Ultra SP-L and 22 μL·L-1 Cellubrix at 45 °C, for 43 min, at pH 5.5, was found to be the optimum set of conditions for processing cloudy mango juice.