Taichung No. 1

Taichung No. 1, one of the sweetest Taiwanese breeds, is a modern Taiwanese mango bred by the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (TDARES) under Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture. It came from a 1999 seedling of Chiin Hwang (Jinhuang - also known as Golden Queen) collected in a Nanxi, Tainan orchard; the pollen parent is unknown, since the flower was pollinated naturally in the field. After about 15 years of single-tree selection, trait testing and yield evaluation, it received plant variety rights in 2014. The breeders set out to solve Chiin Hwang's main weakness, internal flesh breakdown, while keeping high sweetness and allowing green-mature harvest. The scientists behind Taichung No. 1 variety's development were Meng-Sung Chen, Huei-Ling Liu, Wen-Pin Yeh, Ching-Chang Shiesh and Chih-Sheng Chang.

Taichung No. 1 is elliptical and gently curved, weighing about 400-600 grams, with a raised style scar at the base. Young mango is green flushed with red, ripening to orange-yellow with a red blush, and bagging with white paper in mid-development brightens the colour further. The flesh is yellow, firm, finely textured and low in fibre, with a mild aroma. Its standout trait is sweetness: 22°Brix with just 0.2–0.3% acidity. At its 2015 public launch, station staff measured it at 22.5°Brix. Pulp recovery is high at about 87%, and the fruit peels easily.

It is a mid-to-late-season variety. In Changhua, central Taiwan, its harvest runs from mid-July to early August, about 136 days after full bloom. This picks up just as the southern Irwin crop finishes, extending Taiwan's mango season into August. In West Bengal (India), Taichung No. 1 ripens in the first week of July.

Unlike Chiin Hwang, tree-ripened fruit does not develop internal breakdown, so it can be harvested fully coloured on the tree. It can also be picked green-mature and ripened afterwards while still reaching about 20°Brix, which makes it well suited to transport and export. Shelf life is roughly 7-8 days at room temperature.

It bears regularly. Its seed is monoembryonic and small in size - only 4.4% of fruit weight.

The tree is vigorous with a semi-open canopy, flowers well and sets fruit reliably, with 64.9% hermaphrodite flowers in the inflorescence. Its long, fairly soft shoots need higher branching points so that heavy fruit does not drag on the ground, and TDARES recommends leaving only 1–2 fruits per bearing shoot at 5 × 5 m spacing. It has no resistance to anthracnose or oriental fruit fly, so protection around flowering and fruit development is essential. Its dense, sweet flesh makes it especially popular for shaved mango ice, ice cream and smoothies.

Looking into the characteristics, Taichung No. 1 appears to be a mango variety with great commercial potential. By adopting regular annual pruning, Taichung No. 1 can be planted in all types of gardens - rooftop garden, kitchen garden, terrace garden, small orchard and in large orchards with high density.

ColourOrange-yellow with a red blushAverage Weight400-600 gramsSweetnessTSS 22 BrixShelf Life Moderate - approximately 7-8 daysSeed TypeMonoembryonicBearingRegular bearer