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2. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION PreviousNext End 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:

3. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION PreviousNext End 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

4. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION 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 The optimum nutrient levels in soil needed for mango cultivation are as follows Previous Next End

5. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION Previous Next End 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

6. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION Previous Next End 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 26.7 o C.

7. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION Previous Next End The optimum temperature for mango is 23.9 to 26.7 0 C. 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.

8. S OIL 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. Previous Next End

9. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION Previous Next End 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.

10. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR GRAPES PRODUCTION Previous Next End 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

11. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION Previous Next End 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

12. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION Previous Next End 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

13. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION Previous Next End 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

14. S OIL SUITABILITY AND MANAGEMENT FOR MANGO PRODUCTION Previous 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