How To Grow Mango Tree Faster At Home Successfully

How To Grow Mango Tree Faster At Home Successfully

                                               

Mango

Scientific name: Mangifera indica

Family: Anacardiaceae

Origin: India-Burma

Mango is the most popular fruit grown in the world. This is why the mango (Mangifera indica) is called the "king of fruits." Its cultivation has been practiced worldwide since ancient times. Currently, India is one of the leading countries in mango production. India accounts for approximately 56% of the world's total mango production. 

The Mangofruit contains 0.6% protein, carbohydrates (11.8%), minerals like calcium, phosphorus & iron (0.3%), and rich source of vitamin A (4800 units), B1 & B2 90mg and vitamin C 13 mg per 100g  of pulp. The fruit is consumed at all its developmental stages.

The fruit is an excellent source of vitamins A and C.  Besides being consumed fresh, it is also used to make products such as pickles, dried mango powder, chutneys, squashes, and jams. Mangoes are grown in most states of India, but Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Gujarat are the leading states in mango production.

Top Mango Producers (Approximate Annual Production)

India: 25-26 million tonnes, accounting for over half of global production.

China: Around 3.8 - 4.5 million tonnes.

Indonesia: About 3.6 - 4.1 million tonnes.

Pakistan: Roughly 2.7 - 2.8 million tonnes.

Mexico: Approximately 2.4 - 2.7 million tonnes. 

India's Dominance: India's massive output comes from its diverse geography and tropical climate, supporting over 1,000 mango varieties, notes Testbook and WorldAtlas.

Other Major Producers: Other significant producers include Brazil, Malawi, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, rounding out the top ten

 Climate

Mango is a tropical fruit, but it can be grown up to 1,100m above mean sea level. There should not be high humidity, rain, or frost during flowering. The temperature between 24 and 27°C is ideal for its cultivation. Higher temperature during fruit development and maturity gives better-quality fruits. The areas experiencing frequent showers and high humidity are prone to many pests and diseases. Thus, it can be grown best in regions with a rainfall between 25cm and 250cm. Regions having bright sunny days and moderate humidity during flowering are ideal for mango growing.

Soil

For proper growth and fruiting of mango trees, deep, well-drained sandy loam soil rich in organic matter is ideal.  Land without any impermeable layer up to a depth of 2 meters is considered good for mango cultivation. A soil pH of 6.5 to 7.5 is optimal for mango production. Calcareous, gravelly, stony, and saline soils are unsuitable for its cultivation.

How To Grow A Mango Tree From Seed

 

Varieties

India is the home of about 1,000 varieties. Most of them are the result of open pollination arising as chance seedlings. However, only a few varieties are commercially cultivated throughout India.  

Commercial mango varieties grown in different states 

Andhra Pradesh	Banganapalli, Suvarnarekha, Neelum, and Totapuri
Bihar	Bombay green, Chausa, Dashehari, Fazli, Gulabkhas, Kishen Bhog, Himsagar, Zardalu, and Langra
Gujarat	Kesar, Alphonso, Rajapuri, Jamadar, Totapuri, Neelum, Dashehari, and Langra
Haryana	Chausa, Dashehari, Langra, and Fazli
Himachal Pradesh	Chausa, Dashehari, and Langra
Karnataka	Alphonso, Totapuri, Banganapalli, Pairi, Neelum, and Mulgoa
Madhya Pradesh	Alphonso, Bombay Green, Dashehari, Fazli, Langra, and Neelum
Maharashtra	Alphonso, Kesar, and Pairi
Punjab	Chausa, Dashehari, and Malda
Rajasthan	Bombay Green, Chausa, Dashehari, and Langra
Tamil Nadu	Alphonso, Totapuri, Banganapalli, and Neelum
Uttar Pradesh	Bombay Green, Chausa, Dashehari, and Langra
West Bengal	Fazli, Gulabkhas, Himsagar, Kishenbhog, Langra, and Bombay Green

 

State-wise availability of mango in India

Andhra Pradesh	March to mid–August
Bihar	May-end to mid-August
Gujarat	April to July
Haryana	June to August
Himachal Pradesh	mid-June to mid-August
Karnataka	May to July
Madhya Pradesh	Mid-April to July
Maharashtra	April to July
Rajasthan	May to July
Tamil Nadu	April to August
Uttar Pradesh	Mid-May to August
West Bengal	May to August

In India, mangoes are available from March to mid-August. The north Indian cultivars are alternate-bearers, whereas the south Indian ones are generally regular-bearers. About 20 varieties are grown commercially, which are as follows:

Alphonso

One of the most popular varieties of India, it is mainly grown in the Ratnagiri area of Maharashtra and to a small extent in parts of South Gujarat and Karnataka. Its fruits are medium-sized (250g), with an attractive blush towards the basal end. Pulp is firm, fibreless, with excellent orange colour. It has a good sugar: acid blend. Keeping quality is good. It is susceptible to spongy tissue.

Banganapalli

A widely cultivated, early-maturing mango of South India. It is the main commercial variety of Andhra Pradesh. Its fruits are large-sized, weighing on average 350-400g. The pulp is fibreless, firm, and yellow with a sweet taste. Fruits have good keeping quality.

Bombay Green

It is one of the earliest varieties of northern India. Its fruits are medium-sized, weighing about 250g each. Fruits have a strong and pleasant flavour. Pulp is soft and sweet. 

Chausa

Late-maturing variety of north India, it matures during July or the beginning of August. Fruits are large, weighing about 350g each. Fruits are bright yellow with soft and sweet pulp. It is shy bearing.

Dashehari

One of the most popular varieties of northern India, it is a mid-season mango. Fruits are medium-sized, with pleasant flavour, sweet, firm, and fibreless pulp. The stone is thin and of good keeping quality. 

Fazli

This is indigenous to Bihar and West Bengal. Fazli is a late-maturing (August) mango. Fruits are large, with firm to soft flesh. Flavour is pleasant, and pulp is sweet and fibreless.

Keeping quality is good.

Gulab Khas

It is indigenous to Bihar. Regular and heavy-bearing, it is a mid-season mango. Fruits are small to medium-sized. It has a rosy flavour. Fruits are amber-yellow with reddish blush towards the base and on the sides. Keeping quality is good.

Himsagar

                                   

Very popular in West Bengal, it is a regular-bearing mango. Its fruits are medium-sized and of good quality. Flesh is firm, yellow, fibreless with a pleasant flavour. Keeping quality is good.

Kesar

                        

Popular in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Kesar is an irregular-bearing mango. Fruits are medium-sized. Flesh is sweet and fibreless. It has an excellent sugar: acid blend. Fruits ripen to an attractive apricot-yellow colour with red blush. It has good processing quality.

Kishenbhog

Indigenous to West Bengal, it is a mid-season mango. Fruits are medium to large-sized, good with a pleasant flavour. There are traces of turpentine. Flesh is firm with few fibres. Keeping quality is good.

Langra

An important commercial mango variety of north India, it is a biennial-bearer and a midseason variety, with good quality fruits. Flesh is firm, lemon-yellow in colour, and scarcely fibrous. It has a characteristic turpentine flavour. Keeping quality is medium.

Mankurad

It is a mid-season variety, popular in Goa. Fruits are medium-sized with yellow skin. Flesh is firm, cadmium yellow, and fibreless. Keeping quality is good.

Neelum

A heavy-yielding, late-season mango in south India, it has a regular-bearing habit. Fruits are medium-sized with good flavour. Flesh is soft, yellow, and fibreless. Keeping quality is good.

Pairi

A native of coastal Maharashtra, including Goa, it is an early-maturing, heavy, and regular-bearer mango. Fruits are medium-sized and of good quality. It has a good flavour with sugar: acid blend. Flesh is soft, primuline-yellow, and fibreless. Keeping quality is poor.

Totapuri

     

                    

Widely grown in South India, Totapuri is a regular and heavy-bearing mango. Fruits are medium to large with prominent sinuses. Fruit quality is medium. It has a typical flavour and flat taste. Flesh is cadmium-yellow and fibreless.

A number of selections/hybrids of mango have evolved. These include Clone C-51 from Dashehari, selected at the CISH, Lucknow, and an off-season selection, Niranjan, selected at Parbhani. New clonal selections from Langra and Sunderja have been made at Varanasi and Rewa. A clonal selection, Paiyur 1, has been made from Neelum, in addition to a few dwarf polyembryonic selections made in the north-eastern region.

As a result of systematic hybridization, several hybrids have been released. However, only a few have become commercially acceptable. Of these, Mallika, Ratna, and Arka Puneet are becoming quite popular.

How To Make Mango Tree Grow Fast

Mango hybrids and their characteristics 

Hybrid	Place of research	Parentage	Important characters
Mallika	IARI, New Delhi	Neelum x Dashehari	Regular-bearers, high TSS, good colour, uniform fruits, moderate keeping quality
Amrapali	IARI, New Delhi	Dashehari x Neelum	Dwarf, regular-bearers, cluster-bearing, small-sized fruits, good keeping quality
Ratna	FRS, Vengurla	Neelum x  Alphonso	Regular-bearers, free from spongy tissue and fibre
Sindhu	FRS, Vengurla	Ratna x  Alphonso	Regular-bearer, stone thin
Arka Puneet	IIHR, Bangalore	Alphonso x  Banganapalli	Regular-bearer, attractive skin colour, medium-sized, free from spongy tissue.  Good keeping quality, good sugar, acid blend

Propagation

Mango is a highly heterozygous and cross-pollinated crop. There are 2 types of mango varieties. Most of the varieties in the south are polyembryonic and thus give true-to-type seedlings. In the north, the varieties grown are monoembryonic and need to be propagated vegetatively.

Mango is propagated on mango rootstock. For raising rootstock, the seeds of mango are sown within 4-5 weeks after extraction; otherwise, they lose their viability. For sowing the seeds, raised beds are prepared with a mixture of farmyard manure, red soil, and sand. In some places, seeds are sown directly in polythene bags. After germination, the leaves turn green in 2-4 weeks. These seedlings are transplanted to polythene covers containing red soil, sand, and farmyard manure. The addition of nitrogenous fertilizer to polythene covers after the establishment of plants helps in the quick growth of seedlings. The seedlings thus raised should be used for grafting at different ages. Several methods of grafting are practiced. They are:

lnarching: It is one of the most widely practiced methods of grafting. One can get a large-sized plant material for planting with an over 95% success rate.

Veneer and side grafting: These can be utilized for preparing a grafted plant material or for in situ grafting, i.e., for the rootstocks that are already planted.

Epicotyl /stone grafting: This method is widely practiced in the Konkan region of Maharashtra.

The germinated seedlings of 8-15 days old are used for grafting.

 

CULTIVATION                                                                      

Planting

Different systems of planting, like square, rectangular, and hexagonal, are followed in different places. However, square and rectangular systems are also popular. The spacing depends on the vigour of the variety and the cropping system. The planting season varies from Jun to September. The main field is brought to fine tilth. Pits of 1m x 1mx 1m are dug. These are exposed to the sun for about 30 days. Before planting, pits are filled with well-rotted farmyard manure. The top and sub-soil are taken out separately while digging the pits. The grafts should be planted during the rainy season. In the in-situ grafting, rootstocks are planted in the main field. Then they are raised for 6 months to 1 year. Then the scions of the variety that need to be grown are taken and grafted. This is usually done when the humidity is high. After grafting, the scions are covered with polythene covers. 

High-density planting

 High-density planting helps increase the yield/unit area. In north India, the mango Amrapali is found amenable for high-density planting with a spacing of 2.5m x 2.5m. Soil drenching with paclobutrazol (2 ml/tree) induces flowering during the off-year. It has become a commercial practice in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. If coupled with pruning, it helps increase production  /unit area in Dashehari. The polyembryonic mango Vellaikolumban, when used as rootstock, imparts dwarfing in Alphonso.

 

 AFTER CARE AND MANAGEMENT

Training and pruning

Training is an important practice during the first few years after planting. It is essential to space the branches properly to facilitate intercultural operations.

Manuring and fertilization

The nutritional requirement of mango varies with the region, soil type, and age. A dose of

73g N, 18 g P₂O_2, and 68g K₂O₅ / year of age from first to tenth year, and thereafter a dose of 730g N, l80g P₂O_5, and 680g K₂O should be applied in 2 split doses during June-July and September-October respectively.

Spraying of zinc sulphate (0.3%) during February, March, and May is recommended to correct the zinc deficiency. Spraying of Borax (0.5%) after fruit set twice at monthly intervals and 0.5% manganese sulphate after blooming corrects boron and manganese deficiencies, respectively.

Organic manures and phosphatic fertilizers should be applied immediately after harvest, whereas ammonium sulphate should be given before flowering.

Intecropping

In mango, intercropping helps check weed growth and reduces nutrient losses. Intercropping blackgram-wheat-mango and brinjal-onion-mango gives better monetary benefits. Besides, taking up cover crops like sunhemp, cowpea, and pea helps to prevent soil erosion.

 

Irrigation

The young plants up to 2 years old should be watered regularly. The newly-planted grafts need about 30 litres of water every week. Irrigation during the preflowering phase increases flowering. Irrigating grown-up trees after fruit set at a 10-day interval increases the yield.

Harvesting and Postharvest Management

Mangoes should be harvested with the pedicel. Injury to the fruits during harvesting brings down their quality and also makes them prone to fungal attack. An average mango tree yields 8 tonnes /ha. The number of fruits per tree doing its bearing age generally varies from 1000 to 2000 fruits. The productivity of mango is higher in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. The north Indian mangoes Langra and Dashehari are alternate-bearers, whereas most of the south Indian mangoes are regular bearers. Mango Mallika and Amrapali are also comparatively regular bearers.

After harvesting, mangoes are graded according to their size. To maintain the quality, proper packaging is a must. In the western region, bamboo baskets are used for packing. A basket contains 50-100 fruits. Straw is used for packing. Wooden boxes are also used in some places. However, now perforated cardboard is generally used. In these boxes, either fruits are individually wrapped with tissue paper before packing, or paper shavings are used for cushioning.

Minimizing the post-harvest losses is one of the most important aspects. Usually, green and mature mangoes are stored better than ripe ones harvested from trees. Low temperature storage, controlled atmospheric storage, use of chemical treatment for delaying ripening, irradiation, heat treatment, packaging, and shrink wrapping are methods to increase their shelf life. The temperature of 5-16°C for different varieties is ideal for storing. Mangoes are highly susceptible to low-temperature injury. Loss of flavour and development of undesirable softening are major symptoms of chilling injury.

Under controlled atmospheric storage, retardation of respiratory activity, delay of softening, colour development, and senescence of fruits take place. Hence, this method has not been adopted in mango. The combination of waxing (3%) along with hot-water treatment results in good-quality fruits with extended storage life. Individual wrapping of fruit imparts uniform colour and reduces shrinkage. Hydro-cooling at 12°-15°C and holding for 2 weeks at 15°C followed by storage for 1 week at ambient temperature, gives good storage life to fruits.

MANGO- MAJOR PROBLEMS, PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS, PESTS AND DISEASES, AND INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 

DISORDERS

Alternate bearing

Alternate bearing has been one of the major problems. Most of the South Indian varieties are regular-bearers, whereas North Indian ones are alternate-bearers. Paclobutrazol is a promising chemical for flower induction in mango. Soil drenching with paclobutrazol (5g -10g/tree) results in a minimum outbreak of vegetative flushes during September to October, giving an early and profuse flowering and more annual yield without affecting fruit size and quality.

Mango malformation

It is one of the most important disorders, causing huge losses. It is a major problem in Punjab, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. However, it has also been noticed in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, and Orisha. Of the 2 types of mango malformation, vegetative malformation is more common in nursery seedlings and young plants. Floral malformation affects trees at the bearing stage. In vegetative malformation or bunchy top, compact leaves are formed in a bunch at the apex of the shoot or in the leaf axil, and the growth of the shootlet is arrested. 

Floral malformation directly affects the productivity. The incidence of disorder varies from variety to variety. Deblossoming alone or coupled with a spray of 200ppm NAA lowers the number of malformed panicles significantly.

Black tip

This disorder is mainly noticed in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. The distal end of the affected fruits turns black and becomes hard. These fruits ripen prematurely and become unmarketable. This disorder is caused by the smoke of brick-kilns located within a distance of 600m. Gases like carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and acetylene cause these symptoms. It can be controlled by raising the height of the chimney of the brick kilns. Spraying borax (0.6%) at 10-14-day intervals starting from fruit set also controls it. 

Clustering (Jhumka)

This malady is characterized by a cluster of fruitlets at the tip of the panicle, giving an appearance of a bunch tip called jhumka. These fruitlets are dark green with a deeper curve in the sinus beak region compared with normally developing fruitlets. These fruitlets grow to marble size after which their growth ceases. One of the main reasons for clustering is the adverse climate during February-March, particularly the low temperature. Most of the fruits are aborted with shrivelled embryos and do not develop further, signifying the role of normal embryo growth in the development of fruits.

Spongy tissue

It is specific to the Alphonso mango. Fruits from outside look normal. But inside, a patch of flesh becomes spongy, yellowish, and sour. This disorder has brought down the export of this variety. Inactivation of ripening enzyme due to high temperature, convective heat, and post-harvest exposure to sunlight are the causes. Use of sod culture and mulching is useful in reducing its incidence. Mango hybrids Ratna and Arka Puneet, which have Alphonso-like characters, do not suffer from this malady. Harvesting mangoes when they are three-fourths mature rather than fully mature ones also reduces this malady. 

How To Grow Mango Tree Faster At Home Successfully

Use of Growth Regulator

Due to the various causes, fruit drop occurs in mango at a higher rate, even up to about 99 percent in various stages of growth, more during the initial four weeks. 

 The extent of fruit drop can be reduced significantly by (a) Regular irrigation during the fruit development period, (b) Timely and effective control measures against major pests and diseases, and (c) Through the application of growth regulators like NAA (50 ppm) and 2,4-D (20 ppm) during off years about six weeks after fruit set. 

 

Pests and Diseases 

Mango hopper  (Amaritodus atkinsoni)

Spray phosalone @ 0.05% or carbaryl 2 g/liter or phosphamidon 1 mL/litre. 

Nut weevil  (Cryptorrhynchus mangiferae and C.gravis)

General cleanliness in the orchard, destroying the adults in the bark crevices and holes, and spraying with Fenthion 0.1% Stem borer (Batocera rufomaculata)

Padding with monocrotophos 36 WSC 10ml in 2.5 cm per tree, soaked in absorbent cotton. Application of carbofuron 3 G 5g per bore hole and plugging with mud.

Fruit fly (Dacus spp)

Plough the inter spaces to expose pupae.

Monitor with Methyl Eugenol traps.

Remove the fallen fruits now and then and bury them deep in the soil.

Powdery mildew (Oidium mangiferae)

Apply sulphur dust (350 mesh) in the early morning to protect the new flush or spray wettable sulphur 0.2% or Tridemorph 0.05%

Anthracnose and stalk and end rot (Collectotrichum gloesporioides)

Spray Mancozeb 0.2% (1kg /ha) or Carbendezim 0.1% as a preharvest spray, 

3 times at 15-day intervals.

Sooty mould (Capnodium sp)

Spray Dimecron 0.03% + Maida 5% (1kg maida or starch boiled with one litre of water and diluted to 20 litres).