Mango is the most important fruit crop of India. India produces about 12.

750 Mt of Mango

from an area of 2.309 Mha with an average productivity of 5.5 mt/ha. Major producing

states are Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Orissa &

Maharashtra. Uttar Pradesh has 0.2712 mha under mango and the total production during 2008-

09 is 3.465 Mt with 12.8 mt/ha productivity. India ranks first in the world for mango production

and area under cultivation. Mango is a rich source of vitamin A and has a fairly good content of

vitamin C. Mango fruits are used for preparation of pickle, chatani, amchur, jam, squash, nectar

and many other delicious products.

Climate and soil: Mango can be grown from alluvial to lateritic soils except black cotton soil

which has poor drainage. The temperature between 24 and 270C is ideal for mango cultivation.

Variety: Dashehari, Langra, Chausa, Bombay Green, Lucknow Safeda, Mallika and Amrapali.

Multiplication of genuine planting material: Mango can be propagated by veneer, wedge

and soft wood grafting. The protected nurseries in polyhouses and use of sprinkler and drip is

becoming common for raising humidity level, which is required for higher grafting success rate.

Preparation of land: The land should be prepared one month before planting. The pits of 1m x

1m x 1m size are dug. The pits are exposed for 2 to 4 weeks to kill harmful soil organisms.

Soil sterilization: Soil sterilization can be achieved through both physical and chemical means.

Physical control measures include steam and solar energy. Chemical control methods include
herbicides and fumigants. Soil sterilization can also be achieved by using transparent plastic mulch

film (25 micron thickness) termed as soil solarisation.

Planting: Square and rectangular systems are popular. Before planting, pits are filled with FYM

at the rate of 15-20 kg/plant. The grafts should be planted during July to September.

Planting density: High density (3m x 6m or 5m x 5m) planting helps increase the yield/unit

area. Normal planting distance of mango is 8m x 8m.

Canopy Management: Training should be done after 6th month of planting. It is essential to

space the branches properly and to help in intercultural operation. At initial branching height
between 60 to 70 cm is appropriate.