Effect of Hurricane Andrew on mango trees in Florida and their recovery.
Crane J. H., Balerdi C. F.
Author Affiliation: University of Florida, IFAS, Tropical Research and Education Center, 18905 S.W. 280 St., Homestead, FL 33031-3314, USA.
: 323-330
Abstract : On 24 August 1992, Hurricane Andrew reached south Florida, USA, and produced sustained winds of 230 kph with gusts in excess of 280 kph. There was 50-100 mm of rain during the storm. Prior to the hurricane, Florida possessed about 1172 ha of commercial mangoes, and produced >10 MT of fruit annually, valued at ~$3.4 million. Immediately after the hurricane, only 648 ha remained, and during the 1993 season only 1.25 MT of fruit valued at $1.0 million was harvested. Initial tree damage included defruiting, defoliation, breakage of major scaffold limbs, trunk splitting and breakage, tree toppling, bark scarring and windthrowing. Subsequent damage included heat stress (sunburning) of exposed trunks and limbs and continued decline of trees. An orchard survey in 1993 showed that 71% of the trees initially survived the hurricane. It also revealed that 20, 29, 21 and 30% of the mango trees were toppled, destroyed, remained as stumps, or were left standing, respectively, as a result of the hurricane. In 1996, the recovery of damaged mango trees was still slow, with many trees continuing to decline and die. It is suggested that damaged bark due to excessive sun exposure and root damage are the main causes for the poor recovery.