Rejuvenation of old and overcrowded Alphonso mango orchard with pruning and use of paclobutrazol.
Burondkar M. M., Gunjate R. T., Magdum M. B., Govekar M. A.
Author Affiliation: Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli - 415 712, Dist Rantagiri, (M.S.), India.
: 681-686
Abstract : A field trial aimed at restoring yields of declining mango orchards was conducted for 3 successive years (1993-95) on 34-year-old, severely pruned Alphonso mango trees in India. Effect of paclobutrazol (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 g/tree), applied to soil in July 1992 and 1993, and its residual effect in 1994-95, on growth and yield were studied. Pooled results of the first 2 years indicated that flowering of paclobutrazol-treated trees was significantly and linearly advanced (by 12.6, 20.3, 27 and 28.3 days, respectively) and flower number stimulated (by 64.99, 76.62, 84.64 and 85.71%, respectively), compared with the control. Treated trees recorded significantly higher yields of 69.177, 85.8, 94.076 and 96.65 kg fruits/tree, respectively, compared with the control (8.108 kg fruits/tree). In the absence of paclobutrazol treatment in 1995, it was observed that residual paclobutrazol in the soil in paclobutrazol treatments of 7.5 and 10 g was sufficient to promote earlier and more abundant flowering and higher yields of 45.4 and 64.47 kg/tree, respectively, compared with the control (25.62 kg).