Nutritional status, yield components, quality, and antioxidant performance of some mango cultivars in response to effect of Sukkary and Zebda rootstocks

Rootstock selection critically influences mango scion performance. To achieve optimal productivity, this study evaluated growth, yield, fruit quality, and leaf nutrients of ‘Tommy Atkins’, ‘Osteen’, and ‘R2E2’ grafted onto ‘Sukkary’ and ‘Zebda’ rootstocks over two seasons (2024–2025). The experiment followed a two-factor design (two rootstocks × three scions) arranged in a randomized complete block design. Sukkary rootstock increased trunk diameter (up to 22.6 cm), leaf area (73.1 cm ² ), and yield (55.1 kg/tree) when combined with Tommy Atkins. However, Zebda rootstock resulted in higher leaf N (2.23%) and magnesium (Mg) (0.29%) across scions. Conversely, R2E2 grafted onto Zebda rootstock promoted greater tree height, whereas canopy volume was greater for R2E2 on Sukkary in 2024 and on Zebda in 2025. Leaf nutrient analysis revealed significantly higher phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) concentrations in scions grafted onto Zebda rootstock, while nitrogen (N) and magnesium (Mg) contents varied by scion–rootstock combination. In addition, R2E2 trees on Sukkary rootstock produced fruits with greater fruit weight, pulp weight, and larger fruit dimensions. Among the evaluated cultivars , Osteen demonstrated superior fruit quality compared to Tommy Atkins and R2E2, exhibiting higher levels of total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), total sugars, reducing sugars, vitamin C, and total carotenoid content. Overall, the results highlight the important role of rootstock in regulating scion vigor and fruit yield, with comparatively small effects on fruit quality characteristics. Based on these findings, grafting Tommy Atkins onto Sukkary is recommended for high-density planting, while grafting Osteen onto either rootstock optimizes fruit quality.