Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Understand the growth and fruiting behaviour of mango. 3. Start with scientific orchard planning to avoid future problems. 4. Learn to produce and use the quality planting material. 5. Adopt standard orchard establishment practices. 6. Use in-situ orchard establishment technique in hilly, sloppy and adverse land conditions. 7. Maximize profit through high density planting and orchard floor management. 8. Take special care and manage the developing plants. 9. Ensure that plant is nutritionally balanced. 10. Avoid moisture stress and weed excess at critical stages. 11. Manage the canopy and rejuvenate the old trees. 12. Realise full potential of bearing orchard. 13. Make mango orchard to bear every year. 14. Understand the role of pest and pesticide management in mango health. 15. Adopt preventive practices and curative options for insect pests management. 16. Adopt preventive practices and curative options for disease management. 17. Adopt preventive practices and curative options for the management of disorders. 18. Adopt monthly work schedule to keep mango orchard healthy and productive. 19. Reduce harvest, handling and marketing losses. 20. Extend self life, reduce post harvest losses and convert into value added products. 21. Identify the problems and select appropriate remedy as and when needed. 22. Appendix. 23. Bibliography. 24. Colour plates.
"India is the largest producer of mango in the world. The productivity of mango is low due to poor initial planning, inferior planting material, poor orchard management practices, unscientific post harvest practices and natural calamities. Vegetative dominance over reproductive phase, irregular flowering, erratic fruit set and its growth, fruit drop, post harvest losses, pests, diseases, disorders and adverse climatic conditions affect the economic cultivation of mango. In order to avoid loss and increasing profitability, it is necessary to take steps from initial stage so that vigour and growth of the orchard is maintained by performing proper operations right from planning of orchard to sale of the produce.
In mango cultivation, today major issues are nutrition, irrigation, pests, diseases and disorders which can be rated as the critical issues for attention to improve its productivity and quality. Improvement in production of planting material is an area that needs action to stop or slow down the re-cycling of disease and pest problems in old and new orchards.
Educating growers, contractors and extension officers on these aspects to broaden their knowledge base is the key issue of the day. The present book has been prepared to address the field related problems of mango growers in action mode with a view that scientific planning, good horticultural practices and proper pest knowledge save a farmer from problems and losses in future. The book is presented in simple language without the load of conflicting views so that readers can understand and take proper steps from very beginning to avoid problems in future. Altogether, 21 chapters and an appendix of the book cover various aspects of mango cultivation and problems, based on updated information vis-a-vis research and field experiences of the authors."
