Investigations on the microclimate of mango orchard.
Chang JerWay, Chang HsienMing, Chao ChengNan, Wang HuiLiang
Author Affiliation: Chai-Yi Agriculture Experiment Station, Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, Feng-San, Taiwan.
Chinese Journal of Agrometeorology 3 : 151-157
Abstract : In an experiment to study the microclimatic factors affecting mango production, fruiting was investigated in 1992-93 at Yu-Ching in Tainan county, and San-Ti-Men and Chun-Jih of Pingtung county, Taiwan, using 20-, 10- and 15-year-old trees, respectively. The cultivars used were Irwin at Yu-Ching and Chun-Jih, and Native at San-Ti-Men. Cold spells occurring in November and December at San-Ti-Men, and in January and February at Chun-Jih, were responsible for the low fruiting ratio of mango. Cold spells devastated flowering and fruits which were at the marble-sized growth stage or younger. At Yu-Ching, cold spells rarely occurred during mango flowering and fruiting because the terminal flower was removed to promote formation of axillary flowers which developed during April. Heavy and/or prolonged rainfall resulted in anthracnose [Glomerella cingulata] and reduced effectiveness of pollinating insects. It is suggested that rainfall and rainy periods during April and May are key factors affecting mango production.