Soil suitability for mango:

Mango grows on wide range of soils, such as lateritic, alluvial,

sandy and sandy loam.

Although it grows well in high to medium fertile soils, its cultivation

can be made successful even in low fertile soils by appropriate

nutrient management especially during early stages of growth.

Establishment is found to be poor in stony soils on hill slopes.

Soil suitability for mango:

The loamy, alluvial, well drained, aerated and deep soils rich

in organic matter with a pH range of 5.5 to 7.5 and a water

table below 180 cm are most suitable for mango cultivation.

The extremely sandy, shallow, rocky, water-logged, heavy

textured and alkaline or calcareous soils are not suitable for

mango cultivation

Properties Optimum levels

EC : < 1 dSm -1

pH : 6.5 - 7.0

P : 70 mg/kg

K : 100 -150 mg/kg

Ca : 600 -1000 mg/kg

Mg : 90 -150 mg/kg

N : 100 mg/kg

S : 10 -20 mg/kg

Zn : 2 -10 mg/kg

B : 1-2 mg/kg

Soil suitability for mango:

Mango is sensitive to problem soils.

The problem soils are broadly classified into acidic and base rich soils

which include saline and alkali types.

Saline soils are rich in soluble salts like sodium chloride, sodium

sulphate etc.

However, soils rich in carbonate and bicarbonate ions are of alkali

types.

Mango performs best in slightly acid soils of red lateritic nature

Mango is very well adapted to tropical and subtropical

climate.

It thrives up to an altitude of 1400 m above mean sea level but

fruiting is poor beyond 500 m.

It thrives well from Kanyakumari in Southern India to sub

mountainous regions in the North.

The annual mean temperature at which mango thrives best is

around 26.7oC.

The optimum temperature for mango is 23.9 to 26.70C.

The prevailing temperature affects the expression of sex in

mango i.e., a close association appears between high

temperature and increased percentage of perfect flowers and

vice versa.

High temperature by itself is not so injurious to mango, but in

combination with low humidity and high winds affects the

growth of the trees adversely.

Mango thrives in places with good rainfall (75 to 375 cm per

annum) and dry season.

The distribution of rainfall is more important than quantity of

the rainfall.

A dry weather before blossoming is conducive for profuse

flowering.

In areas of excessive rainfall and high humidity, even during

the time of fruit maturity, commercial mango growing may not

be profitable due to the attack of fruit fly.

If high temperature, rainfall and humidity persist throughout

the year, there will not be any distinct phases of vegetative and

flowering in the mango tree thus resulting into poor flower

production and fruit set.

Methods of soil management practices

1. Clean culture

Involves regular ploughing and removal of weeds. Cultivation

should be minimized by avoiding deep and frequent

cultivation and also cultivation when the soil is too wet.

To avoid loss of humus, nitrogen, soil erosion, formation of

hard pan etc.,

2. Clean culture with cover crops

Involves raising of a cover crop or green manure after removing the weeds.

Green manure crops like Sunhemp, Cowpea, Daincha, Lupins etc. are more

commonly used.

3. Mulching

Crop residues like straw, cotton stalks, leaves, saw dust, pine needles, coir dust

arid other materials like polythene films or certain special kinds of paper are

spread in the tree basins and in inter spaces between trees.

Main objective of mulching is to conserve soil moisture and to control the

weed growth.

4. Sod

In this method, permanent cover of grass is raised in the

orchard and no tillage is given.

5. Sod mulch

This is similar to sod with the only difference is that the

vegetation is cut frequently and the cut material is allowed to

remain on the ground.

6. Intercropping

The practice of growing any economic crop in alley spaces of the

plant or in the unoccupied spaces of the long duration crop in the

early periods is referred as intercropping.

7. Mixed cropping

It refers to the practice of growing certain perennial crops in the

alley spaces of the main perennial crops. The main advantage is

the effective utilization of available area and increase in the net

income of the farm per unit area.

8. Multitier system of cropping

Intercropping and mixed cropping involve jointly multitier system

of cropping and is defined as a compatible companion of crops

having varying morphological frames and rooting habits, grown

together in such a manner that their canopies intercept solar energy

at varying heights and their roots forage the soil at different zones.

The main principle here is that the land, water and sunlight should

be effectively used.

1.What is the pH range for mango cultivation -------

a.4.5-5.0 b.8.2-9.2 c. 5.5 -7.5

2. What is the optimum level of K range for mango cultivation -------

a.50 -100 mg/kg b. 100 -150 mg/kg c.200-250 mg/kg.

3.Clean culture involve ------- and ----------

Ans : Regular ploughing and removal of weeds

4. Main objective of mulching is to conserve --------

Ans : Soil moisture

5. growing any economic crop in alley spaces is known as ----------

Ans: Inter cropping

Bose. T. K., S. K. Mitra.1990.Fruits: tropical and

subtropical.Publisher Naya Prakash,. 57 p.

Gangolly, S. R. 1957. The Mango. New Delhi, Indian Council of

Agriculture Research.

Singh, S.P. 2000. Commercial fruits. Kalyani Publishers, Ludhiana.

Kumar, N. 2000. Introduction to Horticulture. Rajalakshmi

Publications, Nagarkovil, Tamil Nadu.

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