The availability of arable land has limited the expansion of mango cultivation in India due to the increasing human population and land use pressure. Although India has the largest area under mango crop, the productivity is one of the lowest among the mango growing countries. There are several reasons for this, such as large number of senile orchards, traditional methods of cultivation, poor attention to the canopy, nutrition, pest and diseases, and lack of use of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). To address these issues, the Research and Development team of Jain Irrigation carried out a number of field trials with high and ultra-high density plantation techniques in mango. They determined the irrigation and fertilizer requirements using drip technology and based on the results of soil and leaf analysis for targeted yields, and crop regulation by optimum canopy management and use of Placobutrazol (PBZ) for early uniform and regular flowering. They followed IPM, Global-GAP, and standardized a package of practices for mango cultivars under high density (4.5 m X 4.5 m) and ultra-high-density mango (3 m X 2 m). The composite mango production technology developed over a period of 14 years in the R,D&D farm of JISL is now extended to many growers in the country. The mango yields have increased two to three times, the gestation period for the first harvest was reduced to three to four years, the quality of fruits is now good for export, and fruiting is regular even in shy-bearing cultivars like Alphonso and Himampasand. JISL is the only organization in the country that has invested a large amount of funds in educating farmers in improved agro-techniques and exposing them to the latest technologies to support its research and extension team.
Author(s) Details:
P. Soman,
Research, Development and Demonstration Farms, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Udumalpet, Tirupur District, Tamil Nadu-642 154, India.
A. U. Chaudhari,
Research, Development and Demonstration Farms, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Udumalpet, Tirupur District, Tamil Nadu-642 154, India.
B. Krishna,
Research, Development and Demonstration Farms, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Udumalpet, Tirupur District, Tamil Nadu-642 154, India.
V. R. Balasubramanyam,
Research, Development and Demonstration Farms, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Udumalpet, Tirupur District, Tamil Nadu-642 154, India.
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