What is a Cultivar?
A cultivar is a plant that has been deliberately selected or bred for particular traits — sweeter fruit, brighter flowers, disease resistance, faster growth, or any other characteristic valued by humans. Cultivar names are written in single quotes after the species name: Mangifera indica 'Tommy Atkins'.
How Cultivars Are Created
- Selection: A naturally occurring variant is identified and propagated.
- Breeding: Controlled crosses between plants produce offspring with desired traits.
- Mutation breeding: Induced or natural mutations are stabilized through propagation.
- Clonal propagation: Grafting, budding, or cuttings ensure genetic uniformity.
Naming Rules
- Written in Roman type (not italic) with single quotes: 'Hass', 'Kent'.
- Cannot be in Latin form (to distinguish from botanical varieties).
- Registered with the International Cultivar Registration Authority (ICRA).
Costa Rican Cultivars
Mango (Mangifera indica)
- 'Tommy Atkins': Most commercially planted — good shipping qualities.
- 'Keith': Large fruit, rich flavor — popular in Costa Rica.
- 'Mora': Local selection adapted to lowland Pacific conditions.
Aguacate/Avocado (Persea americana)
- 'Hass': The dominant global cultivar, grown in Costa Rica's Central Valley.
- 'Choquette': Large Florida-type avocado for Caribbean lowlands.
Cacao (Theobroma cacao)
- 'CCN-51': High-yield cultivar widely planted but controversial for flavor.
- 'Criollo': Traditional fine-flavor cultivar still grown in Talamanca.
Why It Matters
- Agriculture: Nearly all commercial fruit, timber, and ornamental trees are cultivars.
- Genetic diversity: Over-reliance on few cultivars creates vulnerability to disease.
- Conservation: Wild relatives of cultivated species are essential genetic resources for future breeding.