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SOIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION

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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:

SOIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION

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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

Soil suitability for mango

SOIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION

Properties Optimum levelsEC : < 1 dSm-1

pH : 6.5 - 7.0P : 70 mg/kgK : 100 -150 mg/kgCa : 600 -1000 mg/kgMg : 90 -150 mg/kgN : 100 mg/kgS : 10 -20 mg/kgZn : 2 -10 mg/kgB : 1-2 mg/kg

The optimum nutrient levels in soil needed for mango cultivation are as follows

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SOIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION

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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.

Soils rich in carbonate and bicarbonate ions are of alkali types.

Mango performs best in slightly acid soils of red lateritic nature.

Soil suitability for mango

SOIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION

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Mango is very well adapted to tropical and subtropical

climate.

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

but fruiting is poor beyond 500m.

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.

SOIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION

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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.

SOIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION

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.

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SOIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION

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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.

SOIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR GRAPES PRODUCTION

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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.,

Methods of soil management practices

1. Clean culture

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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.

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

SOIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION

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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.

4. Sod

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

orchard and no tillage is given.

5. Sod mulch

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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.

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

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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.

8. Multitier system of cropping