Status of mango cultivation in Kerala.
Radha T., Nair S. R.
Author Affiliation: Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, 680 656, Kerala, India.
: 117-121
Abstract : Mango is not considered as a commercial crop of Kerala, but mango trees are inevitable components of homesteads in the state. The total estimated area under mango cultivation is 75?911 hectares with an annual production of 323?517 tonnes. Commercial mango orchards are being established in the Palakkad district, where the climatic conditions are more suitable for mango trees. A detailed survey was attempted to collect all the details of mango cultivation in the Palakkad district. The mango population consists of both seedling and grafted trees but the commercial orchards are of grafted trees only. The cultivated varieties include Alphonso, Bennet Alphonso, Bangalora, Banganapally, Neelum, Kalapady, Guddadat and Prior. The main feature of Kerala's mango production is the earliness. The first mango fruits of the season come to the Indian markets from Kerala. Flowering commences by November-December and the harvesting starts by March-April, which helps growers to obtain the maximum price for the fruits due to the high demand in the main markets in the other parts of the country. The details collected during the survey included the nature of mango orchards, the distribution of different varieties in these orchards, the cultivation practices followed by the growers, the fruiting and yielding behaviour of the varieties, the marketing system prevailing, the problems and prospects of mango cultivation in Kerala.