Increasing productivity of mango orchards by pruning and application of paclobutrazol.
Burondkar M. M., Gunjate R. T., Magdum M. B., Govekar M. A., Waghmare G. M.
Author Affiliation: Regional Fruit Research Station, Vengurla 416?516, Maharashtra, India.
: 367-374
Abstract : During the 1992-93 cropping season, the effects of paclobutrazol (0.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 g/tree) applied once (15 July 1992) via the soil on the flowering and fruiting of 34-year-old mango cv. Alphonso trees (which had been pruned in March 1991) grown at Vengurla, India, were investigated. Flowering was significantly advanced by (compared with controls) 11.4, 19.2, 26.8 and 28.8 days when treatments of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10 g paclobutrazol/tree were applied, respectively. Flowering was more extensive (70.26, 85.56, 91.32 and 91.62% flowering shoots for each of the paclobutrazol treatments, respectively) in treated trees than in non-treated (3.0%) trees. Similarly, treated trees produced high yields of 83.3, 103.8, 112.9 and 114.6 kg fruits/tree compared with 1.2 kg fruits/tree on nontreated trees. Of the paclobutrazol doses tested, 7.5 g induced the highest percentage of bisexual flowers (21.7) and mean fruit set at the pea stage (16.4/panicle); the corresponding values in the controls were 10.5% and 7.84/panicle, respectively. Soil drenching of paclobutrazol close to the collar appeared to be the most easy and cost effective method of application tested.