• Botanical Name: Mangifera Indica
• Family: Anacardiaceae
• Origin: Indo-Burma region
• Mango seed kernels contain 9.5% protein.
• Intercropping can be done up to 5-6 years in a mango orchard
• Viability of stone 30 days
• The ideal temperature for mango cultivation 24-27°C
• Mango thrives well in tropical and sub-tropical climates.
• It can be grown from sea level to an altitude of about 1400 meters.
• Mango grows in all soils with good depth and drainage except black cotton soils.
• The optimum PH is 5.5 to 7.0.
• It cannot tolerate saline conditions.
• North India mangoes Langra and Dashehari are alternate bearers.
• Variety
  • Off-Season mango (Fruit maturity: January to February): Niranjan
  • Canning Variety: Alphonso
  • Mutant variety: Rosica

Propagation

• Mango is commercially propagated by
  1. Veneer grafting
  2. Approach grafting
  3. Softwood grafting
   
• June to Sept/Oct is best for grafting.
• Polyembryonic seedlings are best in providing uniform rootstocks.
• Totapuri red small and Olour are dwarfing rootstocks.
• Mango does not show a significant variation on different rootstocks.

Management of fertilizers

• FYM: 10kg
• Bone meal: 2.5 kg
• Bearing trees may be given
  • N: 750 gm/year/tree.
  • P2O5: 200gm/year/tree.
  • K2O: 700 gm/year/tree.
• Manures should be applied in a small trench dug from about 1.5-2m from the trunk up to the drip line.
• Bearing trees should be irrigated regularly at 10-15 days intervals from fruitset to maturity.
• The plant should be given rest by stopping irrigations at least 2-3 months before flowering for maximum fruit bud development.
• Pits of 90 x 90 x 90 cm are dug at a spacing of 8-10 M. Pits may be filled with FYM.

Planting

• Planting is done during the rainy season graft union should be kept at least 6 inches above the soil at planting. Staking should be done and watered soon after planting.
• Weeds can be controlled by the application of 4 kg/ha Atrazine/oxyflurofen (Goal) @ 800ml/ha as pre-emergence and application of 2 liters/ha Gramaxone (Paraquat)/as post-emergence.

• Mango needs no regular pruning except removing dead and diseased branches.
• Flower bud formation takes place 2-3 months prior to flowering.
• Flowering occurs from Nov-Dec to Feb-Mar depending upon locality and variety and continues for about 2-3 weeks.
• Flowers are polygamous-sex ratio can be improved by the application of NAA 200ppm at flower bud initiation stage.
• Fruit drop
  • 1. Soon after flower opening
  • 2. After pollination and fertilization
  • 3. At grain stage of the fruit.
• Drop of grownup fruits is a major problem.

Physiological Disorder

• Mango malformation
  • Two types of malformation
  • Vegetative malformation
    • Vegetative malformation resembles a “bunchy top” which may dry and die in due course.
  • Floral malformation
    • Floral malformation results in enlargement of flowers with new flowers being produced even after fruit set but with less % of hermaphrodite flowers.
  • Malformation is serious in North than in South.
  • It may result in loss of about 50-60% of the total crop.
  • Krishnabhog, Collecter, Langra, Neelum are tolerant (seedling trees are found to be tolerant)
  • Control measures
     
    • Application of plant growth regulators and phenolic compounds (NAA,Ethrel,GA, Paclobutrozol, etc.)
    • Deblossoming: at bud brust stage-ethrel
• Biennial bearing in mango
  • Mango producing good crop one year and no crop or fewer crops in the next year is known as biennial bearing or alternate bearing.
  • This is genetic and inherent in mango varieties.
• Blacktip
  • A physiological disorder causing distal end of fruit to become black hard
  • Polluted atmosphere with smoke, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, acetylene causes this disorder
  • Spraying Borax 0.6 percent from fruit set at 10-15 days intervals controls this (Punjab, UP, Bihar, W,B)
• Clustering (Jhumka)
  • Clustering of fruits without growth at the tip of the panicale caused by adverse weather (low temperature) during Feb-March.
  • Most of the fruits drop+shrivel ed and aborted embryos.
• Spongy tissue
  • Fruit appears normal extremely but contains yellowish, sour spongy tissue inside high temperature, convertive heat and exposing to sunlight after harvest are supposed to be the causes.
• Soft Nose
  • A physiological disorder caused by Ca deficiency causing a breakdown of flesh towards the apex of the fruit before ripening.