Popular Varieties
* originated from India, Burma and Malaya (Indo-Burma region)
* tree has coarse, large and conical trunk with shallow and small cracks on bark, canopy dome shaped
* fruit is elongated and kidney-shaped, weighs about 240 grams, with thin, yellow pulp, very tender taste and slight aroma
* originated from India, Burma and Malaya (Indo-Burma region)
* tree has upright growth, open crown; has deeper cracks on bark
* kidney-shaped fruit weighing about 230 grams; distinct beak on the apex, flesh is fibrous and thick, light orange yellow and sweeter than ‘Carabao’ variety
* originated from India
* has compact crown and lower tree stand than ‘Carabao’ and ‘Pico’
* fruit is small to medium, rounded/oval, green skin with yellowish flesh and preferably eaten as green
Propagation Practices
There are two methods of propagating mango, namely, sexual and asexual propagation
1. Sexual propagation
– Growing of rootstocks
1. Extract seeds from ripe fruits
2. De-husk seeds to hasten germination
3. Sow the seeds in seed boxes or elevated plots. The ideal medium is a mixture of one part compost and the one part garden soil. Composting materials like sawdust, coconut coir dust, rice hull and other similar organic materials can also be used.
4. Water seed boxes or seed plots to maintain enough moisture. Provide drainage for excess water.
5. Transfer seedlings with 2 to 3 leaves in black plastic bags (7”x11”) filled with garden soil mixed with decomposed organic materials.
6. Note: Seeds germinate in 10-15 days from planting. Apply fertilizer (16-20-0 mixed with urea) 30 days after potting at the rate of ¾ teaspoon per bag.
7. Thereafter, spray foliar at weekly intervals.
8. Apply fertilizer again (same as step 6) every 30 days.
9. Spray with pesticide when the need arises. Most common problems are scale insects, cecid fly, corn silk beetle and anthracnose.
10. Rootstocks are ready for grafting upon attaining “pencil size” stem diameter (10-12 months germination).
2. Asexual propagation (grafting, budding, inarching, etc.)
Through Grafting
1. Grow the rootstock seedlings up to pencil size diameter (8 to 12 months)
2. Get mature scion (pencil size with plump end) from healthy mother trees having superior characteristics
3. Remove the leaves and clean the scion. Immediately place inside plastic bag to prevent transpiration and drying up
4. Cut the stem of the rootstock preferably at the tender joint near the active growing shoot one foot from the base. Make an incision, ¼ inch deep from the cut, at the center of the stem
5. Make a clean V cut at the base of the scion
6. Insert the scion’s V cut base at the incision of the rootstock, seeing to it that the cambium layer or skin of both the scion and the rootstock meet
7. Bind them together gently but firmly with plastic tape. Wrap the entire scion from the joint to the tip to prevent drying
8. Place the newly grafted seedlings in partly-shaded environment
9. Water regularly until flushing (appearance of new leaves) occurs. This is usually observed in 15 to 20 days
10. When this happens, remove the plastic strip that covers the tip to enhance growth. Leave the strip that binds the joint.
11. Grafts are ready for disposal after 8 to 10 months. Hardening is however, recommended prior to field planting
12. Grafts not sold after 1 year should be re-bagged using bigger plastic containers
Land Preparation
1. Prepare lay-out of the farm
There are four lay-outs to choose from:
1. Square system (how tos)
2. Triangle system (how tos)
3. Quincunx system (how tos)
4. Contour system (how tos)
2. Place stakes (markers) at the site of the planting
3. Dig one cubic meter hole and refill with fertile soil (usually soil mixed with decomposed organic materials and fertilizer).
4. Pour water into the hole and allow the water to be absorbed by the soil.
5. Remove the plastic bag carefully.
6. Plant the graft in the center and cover the hole with the remaining soil.
7. Protect the newly-planted graft from intense heat by providing shed using coconut leaves.
8. Apply mulch to conserve soil moisture.
Crop Establishment
Distance of Planting
Factors to consider:
* topography of the land
* development program of the farm
* variety
* soil fertility
* planting of intercrops – kinds of intercrops
* (to include a table containing recommended distance of planting and total number of trees per hectare using different systems of planting)
Pruning and Thinning
As a general rule, the farmer should begin pruning and thinning when the crown or foliage of the trees starts to meet. Pruning is the removal of undesirable vegetative parts of the tree, usually the crowded branches. Insect-infested and diseased branches, leaves, flowers or other plant parts need to be removed also.
An integral part of pruning is training the canopy to a manageable size, shape and height.
Type of Canopy Training:
* open center
* formative
* modified ladder
* conventional
* Dwarfing
Pruning is done to allow sunlight to penetrate in the crown and free air circulation, thereby reducing incidence of insect pests and diseases. In general, pruned trees produce bigger and high quality fruits compared to unpruned trees.
The best time to prune is after harvest. When done during summer, the wounded parts dry and heal faster.
Water Management
For young mango trees, weekly manual watering should be done during dry months by saturating the soil with enough water followed by mulching. If drip irrigation is available, fertilizer application can be incorporated in the irrigation water.
For flowering trees, apply water weekly during flower initiation and fruit development and stop one month before harvest. Irrigate developing flowers and fruits to enhance fast development, minimize fruit drop and increase fruit size. The volume of water ranges from 60 to 100 liters per tree depending on size.
Pest Management
Fruit Protection
Wrapping or bagging of fruits is practiced in many areas because of the following:
* Minimizes incidence of fruit fly and other fruit insects
* Minimizes disease (fungal) infection
* Reduces incidence of mechanical damage
* Paper used serves as absorbent for latex flow during harvest
* Results to cleaner fruit skin and more attractive light green color
* Provides an estimate of harvestable fruits per tree
In general, bagging is recommended to protect fruits from pests and to reduce spraying of insecticides. This practice is done when fruits are about chicken’s egg size (55 to 60 days after flower induction)
Important Diseases
Damage: This is the most prevalent and destructive disease of mango both in the field and after harvest. Symptoms are exhibited not only on the fruits bust also on flowers and leaves.
Damage:This is another post-harvest disease of mango and appears during storage and transit. The disease occurs only in ripened fruits.
Damage: The disease occurs in nurseries and during moist weather. Damage occurs while fruit is still green
Control Measures:The methods of control are similar to that of anthracnose. However, scab is effectively controlled using copper fungicide.
Damage: This fungal disease causes stem bleeding, crown and root rot. Infection may start during the seedling stage and may appear during both dry and wet season.
Damage:The causal organism (fungus) develops in the presence of honeydew excreted by insects like hoppers, scales and mealy bugs. As such, it stains the fruits and makes them look dirty and unattractive.
Harvest Management
The following are the indications that mango fruits are ready for harvesting:
1. At 110 days (for very warm and dry environment), 120 days (warm climate) and 130 days (cool and high elevation) after flower initiation;
2. When the flesh is turning yellow;
3. When powdery deposit or “bloom” on the surface of the skin is detected;
4. When fruit has flattened shoulders at the stem end; or
5. When the pedicels of fruits turn dark green to brown in color;
6. 75% mature fruit samples sink when submerged in 1% salt solution
Harvesting by hand is the most effective way in order to avoid bruises or damage of the fruits. The best time to harvest is between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm since the tree and fruits are dry and the latex flow is minimal. Harvest with pedicel intact (1.5-2.0cm).
Trim off pedicels and let the latex dry before packing.
Post-Harvest Treatments
In order to sell quality fruits, the following post-harvest treatment are practiced:
1. Washing of fruits in water
– To remove dirt on the surface.
2. Hot water treatment
– This involves heating dipping the fruits for 5 to 10 minutes in heated water (52-55°C). This is followed by hydro-cooling (washing in cool water) and air drying.
3. Vapor Heat Treatment (VHT)
– This involves heating the fruit with water vapor saturated air until the fruit pulp reaches 46°C for 10 minutes.
Ripening of Fruits
Fully mature fruits may be induced to ripen faster and with uniform color. There are two ways to do this:
1. Use of calcium carbide (‘kalburo’) at the rate of 5 to 6 grams per kilo of fruit. This is done by wrapping the calcium carbide in paper or leaves and placed at the bottom of the container. The container should be covered for 2 to 3 days. For best result, allow fruits to produce yellow color and place ‘kalburo’.
2. Use of ethylene gas or ethyl water solution. The use of ethylene gas involves a chamber while in ethyl solution, the fruits are simply dipped in the solution.
