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
Veneer grafting
Approach grafting
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.
