Carabao (Strain: Super Galila / Guimaras Super)

Carabao's Super Galila/Guimaras Super, known to growers simply as Galila, is the most celebrated strain of the Carabao mango — the Philippines’ national fruit and flagship export, sold abroad as Manila Super or Champagne mango. Registered with the National Seed Industry Council, it is the sweetest of the fifteen approved Carabao strains. Super Galila/Guimaras Super is the best mango of the Philippines as far as taste and flavour are concerned. It is aromatic, appealing and juicy besides being superb on taste and flavour.

It traces to a single mother tree, reportedly about a century old, in Barangay Poblacion, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, owned by Mr. Cesar Galila — Philippine strains take the name of the mother tree’s owner. It was registered through the Guimaras National Crop Research Development and Production Support Center, which developed ten of the country’s fifteen Carabao strains.

The fruit has the classic Carabao form: slender, elongated and gently kidney-shaped, about 12.5 cm long, averaging 350 grams. The skin ripens a clean bright yellow, slightly thick at 0.93 mm, over deep orange flesh that is smooth, firm and fibreless. Its defining quality is sweetness — a Bureau of Agricultural Research comparison measured Galila at 22.3 °Brix against Zambales’ Sweet Elena at 19, settling a long provincial rivalry. Like all Carabao mangoes it is polyembryonic, coming true from seed.

Guimaras practises year-round flower induction, but the main crop runs April–June (in some years, Super Galila has a tendency of bearing twice; but it is not an all time bearer; it ripens in the month of June in West Bengal, India), peaking with the island’s month-long Manggahan Festival each May. Fruit is harvested around 115–120 days after induction and field-bagged from about day 55 against scab, anthracnose and fruit fly. 

The trees are vigorous with spreading canopy. It has on-year (bears heavily) and off-year (bears; but not heavily). The shelf life of this mango is good - it stays fresh about 12-14 days after harvesting. It is suitable for both the fresh trade and a large dried-mango and purée industry.  

ColourBright YellowAverage Weight350 gramsSweetnessTSS 22.3 BrixShelf LifeGood, 12-14 daysSeed TypePolyembryonicBearingHas on-year and off-year bearing