1State Key Laboratory of Tropical Crop Breeding, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, Hainan 571101, China 2State Key Laboratory of Tropical Crop Breeding, Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China 3School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia 4Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia 5Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572025, China 6Guangxi Subtropical Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530001, China 7Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Ministry of Education) & Guangxi Key Laboratory of Landscape Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization in Lijiang River Basin, Guangxi University Engineering Research Center of Bioinformation and Genetic Improvement of Specialty Crops, Guangxi 541006, China *Corresponding author. E-mail: zhouyongfeng@caas.cn,tianxm333333@foxmail.com,huangjian1984xy@163.com
Received: 20 Jan 2025 Accepted: 21 Sep 2025 Published online: 24 Sep 2025
Abstract
Mango is the second most important tropical fruit crop. Due to ever-changing environmental conditions, world mango production is facing challenges such as diseases (anthracnose and mango malformation), physiological disorders (alternate bearing), low fruit setting, poor fruit quality, short shelf life, and climate change adaptation. Breeding efforts are hindered by the long juvenile period, outdated breeding system, and high heterozygosity, resulting in a slow pace of mango improvement programs. However, over the last decade, significant advances in high-quality genome assemblies, pangenomics, genetic mapping, multiomics data, and phenomics of large populations have accelerated crop genetics and breeding. Here, we summarize recent progress on the origin and domestication of mango, advancements in genome assemblies, development of genetic maps, functional and comparative genomics, evolutionary insights, and assessments of global phenotypic and genotypic diversity, including species at risk. We also discuss the integration of multiomics approaches with quantitative genetics for crop improvement. Furthermore, we highlight the key research gaps that limit breeding efficiency and propose integrative strategies combining pangenomics, multiomics, and machine learning with improved transformation protocols and multienvironment testing to accelerate the development of climate-resilient, high-quality mango cultivars.