Abstract

MARTINEZ FONSECA, Jorge Luis et al. Determination of agroclimatic zones for mango production (Mangifera indica L. "Manila") in Veracruz, Mexico. Invest. Geog [online]. 2007, n.63, pp.17-35. ISSN 2448-7279.

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a fruit of great economic importance in México. In 2004, 166 000 ha of mango were reported in different regions of more than eleven states of the country and the state of Veracruz, 25 550haof mango were grown, 85% belonging to the "Manila" variety. The objective of the present study was to define agroclimatic regions for the cultivation of "Manila" mango in the State of Veracruz, México. The method used was the Components Principal Analysis (CPA) with climatological variables (temperature, precipitation, evaporation, solar radiation), along, as well as hydro-thermal graphs (relation: mean total monthly precipitation and minimum monthly temperature). Two vectors were derived from the analysis associate with the variables, minimum annual temperature and total annual precipitation, which join explain 83% of the total variation. They were defined two groups of towns with different agroclimate. With the hydro-thermal graphs and bibliographical information, and of productivity, they three agroclimatic regions were defined with different degrees of suitability with the following variation intervals of minimum annual temperature: zone 1 (Not suitable) below 13.5° C; zone 2 ( suitable) from 13.5 to 17.5° C; zone 3 (Moderately suitable) from 17.5 to 23.0° C. With a linear model to estimate minimum temperature, and a digital elevation model, using a Geographical Information System (GIS), maps were made of the geographic regions with different agroclimatic suitability for the cultivation of "Manila" mango.

Keywords : Agroclimate; mango; principal component analysis (PCA); hydro-thermal graphs; minimum temperature.