Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Mango/archive1

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[edit] Mango

Self-Nomination. This is one of the first articles which I worked on using the Wiki knowledge that I've learned. I hope to see it reach featured article status and I will try to address any objections you may have. Tarret 22:52, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

  • Comment. Nice layout. Jkelly 23:21, 9 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Comment Consider using less obvious text under the images, ie facts rather than a plain description. --PopUpPirate 23:27, 9 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Comment Not bad, but it could use more and stronger references. For example, "Some people get dermatitis from touching mango peel or sap. Persons showing an allergic reaction after handling a mango can usually enjoy the fruit if someone else first removes the skin." is not referenced that I can see, and the claims about antioxidant and anticancer etc. properties are referenced, but merely repeat what a vegetarian site says about studies that it does not name. As an aside, one neat mango item I've had was a hard mango-flavored candy, with a sliver of real mango inside it. Шизомби 00:00, 10 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Object
    • I'm a little suprised that every reference is a web reference; I'd think a subject like mangos would many book references that could be used.
    • A few random errors still exist, like poison-ivy instead of poison ivy and thast instead of that in a caption. Give the article a copy edit.
    • I notice that the article uses mango for both the name of the tree and the fruit. If it is the legitimate term for both, the article needs to make this clearer, as it is a little confusing.
    • Terms like cultivar are introduced with explanation. When I first saw the word I thought it sounded like an occupation.
    • Over 492 species of insects, 17 species of mites and 26 species of nematodes have been reported to be attacking mango trees. By whom? This needs a citation.
    • The leaves are toxic to cattle. This isn't enough for an entire paragraph and doesn't belong in the Pests and diseases section, as that section dicusses diseases affecting mangoes.
    • Mangoes have been believed to ... Have been believed or are believed? There's a big difference.
    • About half of all... This paragraph doesn't flow very well, One fact is that... in particular.
    • In the United States fruit eaters now regularly choose mangos... The rest of the paragraph after this sentence is made up of choppy sentences and needs a rewrite.
      • Says who? I want to know how regular they eat mangos and how many do it, preferably for people outside the States as this is an international encyclopedia. - Mgm|(talk) 08:33, 10 March 2006 (UTC)
    • Consider using {{cite web}}.
I think this article can reach FA with a little work. Pagrashtak 00:02, 10 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Oppose. I agree with Pagrashtak's concerns. Most importantly, I'd like to see someone go to the library and replace some of the web references with books. Of the sources cited, only two cite their sources: this one and the PDF. Now, the sources from the universities, the USDA, and the UN are probably acceptable despite not citing their own sources. But stuff like Vegetarians in Paradise and Golden Drop are a bit more suspect. — BrianSmithson 17:38, 10 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Object. Checking out the first reference, I have become concerned that the article text is so similar to the source's so as to constitute a possible copyright violation:
Article text Text from http://www.plantcultures.org.uk/plants/mango_history.html

Cultivation and domestication of mangos most likely began in the Indian subcontinent, where they have been grown for more than 4000 years. Buddhist monks were known for taking mango plants on voyages to Malaya and eastern Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries BC. Around the tenth century AD, Persian traders took mangoes to the Middle East and eastern Africa. When the Portuguese arrived in India in they then took it to South America, the Philippines and to western Africa.

In the early stages of domestication, the fruits were probably very small and fibrous without much flesh. The Mughals and Portuguese selected and grew generations of mango plants. Many centuries of development have produced varieties of mangos free of both fibres and unpleasant flavours. This eventually led to the large fruits with thick flesh that we are most familiar with today.

Cultivation and domestication of mangos probably began in the Indian subcontinent, where they have been grown for more than 4000 years. Buddhist monks took mango plants on voyages to Malaya and eastern Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries BC. By the tenth century AD, Persian traders had taken mango to the Middle East and East Africa. With the arrival of the Portuguese in India in the 15th century, it was later spread to South America, the Philippines and to West Africa. Mangos are now cultivated commercially throughout tropics and subtropical areas.

In the early stages of domestication, fruits were probably very small and fibrous without much flesh. The Mughals and Portuguese selected and grew generations of mango plants. Centuries of development have produced varieties of mangos free of both fibres and unpleasant flavours. This eventually led to larger fruits with thick flesh that we are familiar with today.
I stopped reviewing the article at this point, so I'm not sure how prevelant this sort of problem might be, but it needs to be gone over carefully. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 19:39, 10 March 2006 (UTC)
Obviously, this objection is rather devastating. The section was added here by the nominator, so I assume he will be along to address this. Meanwhile, the section is rm'd. Christopher Parham (talk) 09:03, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Object. Further to the above issue, that (copyvio?) text was carelessly inserted between a ref link and its related text, suggesting that the referencing of this article needs a careful once over. But checking the rest of the article carefully for copyvio is the main thing that needs to be done. Christopher Parham (talk) 09:08, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Comment and Object If the author of that part of the article wishes to use the wording from the source material it must be treated like an extensive quote, and not as original material. Also, sections like "Uses# Australia" and "Uses# Research" consist of only one sentance, which looks bad and sloppy. Perhaps they should be integrated into a part of the article which s more appropriate, or expanded so that they can be considered legitimate sub-sections. Thethinredline 10:34, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Object Copy vio is very devastating, and no print sources for something like a mango is just not good. Staxringold 18:02, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Comment: I've found four more probable copyvios in the prose without trying too hard, they are listed at Talk:Mango. This is very upsetting. I've gone ahead and delisted the artile from WP:GA, for what it's worth. While checking this, I've run across a few other problems in the article:
    • Some footnotes appear to be misplaced, for instance footnote two appears after "Mangos were introduced to California (Santa Barbara) in the 1880's", but the source doesn't appear to mention California.
    • Some material, while paraphrased enough from the source material to not be a copyvio, has been altered in a somewhat arbitrary-seeming way, so as to no longer be true, either. Example: the article says "Mango flowers are used in India to make a fragrant oil known called an otto. It is called am attar when it is produced by steam and distilling the young flowers." The source [1] says "Fragrant mango flowers were used in India to make a fragrant essential oil known as an otto. It was called am attar and was produced by steam distilling the young flowers." I guess this is paraphrased enough (though note the copy/pasted typo "am" instead of "an"!), but the paraphrasing has both changed and garbled the meaning.
—Bunchofgrapes (talk) 22:08, 11 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Object. Remove the first image from the text — it's tedious. The article requires a complete rewrite and I'd like to see more paper references. A universal topic does not solely sit on the internet. —Eternal Equinox | talk 15:35, 12 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Object - No written sources? For a fruit? Uh-oh....Dee man45 16:13, 16 March 2006 (UTC)
  • Strongest possible oppose. The editor who posted the above copyright violation located and removed four more at Talk:Mango. I tested five paragraphs and discovered three additional ones, two of which even fail to name the source. In ten days the nominator has failed to reply or address the problem. I am referring the matter to Wikipedia administration. My findings are posted below. Durova 08:31, 20 March 2006 (UTC)
From Mango#Uses
"The taste of the fruit is very sweet, with some cultivars having a slight acidic tang. The texture of the flesh varies markedly between different cultivars; some have quite a soft and pulpy texture similar to an over-ripe plum, while others have a firmer flesh much like that of a cantaloupe or avocado, and in some cultivars the flesh can contain fibrous material. Mangoes are very juicy; the sweet taste and high water content make them refreshing to eat."
From FoodFacts.com
[2] "The taste of the fruit is very sweet, with some cultivars having a slight acidic tang. The texture of the flesh varies markedly between different cultivars; some have quite a soft and pulpy texture similar to an over-ripe plum, while others have a firmer flesh much like that of a cantaloupe or avocado, and in some cultivars the flesh can contain fibrous material. Mangoes are very juicy; the sweet taste and high water content make them refreshing to eat, though somewhat messy."
From Mango#Pests and diseases
"Over 492 species of insects, 17 species of mites and 26 species of nematodes have been reported to be attacking mango trees. Almost a dozen of them have been found damaging the crop to a considerable extent causing severe losses and, therefore, may be termed as major pests of mango. These insects are hopper, mealy bug, inflorescence midge, fruitfly, scale insect, shoot borer, leaf webber and stone weevil. Of these, insects infesting the crop during flowering and fruiting periods cause more severe damage. The insects other than those indicated above are considered as less harmful to a mango crop and are placed in the category of minor pests."
From Horticultureworld.net[3]
"More than 492 species of insects, 17 species of mites and 26 species of nematodes have been reported to be infesting mango trees, about 45 per cent of which have been reported from India. Almost a dozen of them have been found damaging the crop to a considerable extent causing severe losses and, therefore, may be termed as major pests of mango. These are hopper, mealy bug, inflorescence midge, fruitfly, scale insect, shoot borer, leaf webber and stone weevil. Of these, insects infesting the crop during flowering and fruiting periods cause more severe damage. The insects other than those indicated above are considered as less injurious to mango crop and are placed in the category of minor pests."
From Mango#Medicinal uses
"Dried mango flowers serve as astringents in cases of diarrhea, chronic dysentery, catarrh of the bladder and chronic urethritis resulting from gonorrhea. The bark contains mangiferine and is astringent and used against rheumatism and diphtheria in India. The gum from the trunk is applied on cracks in the skin of the feet and on scabies, and is believed helpful in cases of syphilis."
From Rain-tree.com [4]
"Medicinal Uses: Dried mango flowers, containing 15% tannin, serve as astringents in cases of diarrhea, chronic dysentery, catarrh of the bladder and chronic urethritis resulting from gonorrhea. The bark contains mangiferine and is astringent and employed against rheumatism and diphtheria in India. The resinous gum from the trunk is applied on cracks in the skin of the feet and on scabies, and is believed helpful in cases of syphilis."

One final note on the above: I left a polite message on the editor's talk page and the editor blanked the statement without reply. [5] Durova 07:10, 21 March 2006 (UTC)