Mangoes are believed to have originated in India, where they have been cultivated for at least 4,000 years. In the early days of cultivation, the mango fruit was small and only a few parts were edible, but over the long history of cultivation, the larger and tastier fruits were selected and passed down from generation to generation.
Until the development of grafting technology in the 15th century, mangoes were propagated by seed. The mangoes of this region were monoembryonic (see Mango-pedia, Morphological Traits > Mono- and Polyembryonic Mango), and as a result the mangoes of Indian descent became very genetically diverse.
The development of grafting techniques in the 15th century made it possible to increase and maintain good varieties through nutritional breeding, and mango cultivation was widely propagated throughout the world. The best cultivars selected in India during this period, such as 'Alfonso', 'Dashehari' and 'Langra', are still cultivated in various parts of the world. Reference: Mukherjee and Lits, 2009.