In April, we visited Jain Irrigation Mango UHD farms at Udumalpet, Tamil Nadu.Fruits were fairly abundant in the Alphonso and Imampasand trees. According to their expert, this year the yield has been lesser than the previous years all over India due to late rains which affected the flowering.
A blog follower had inquired if UHD could be grown under organic method of cultivation. I asked the Jain expert regarding the same and he struck down the idea of organic cultivation in UHD. In this intensive form of cultivation, effort is made to obtain maximum fruits per tree. He also mentioned that cultar is used to enhance fruiting. However, the dosage is reduced every subsequent year.
Regarding the grid size, I have come across various combinations in the past year from them - 3x2m , 2.5x2.5m, 4x2m etc..which makes me feel that they are still in the process of determining the "perfect" grid size.
We followed 3x3m spacing since we did not have the bandwidth for 650+ plants per acre. In my next phase, we are planning to do 4x2.5 m (4 m between lines) for easier movement within the plot.
In my opinion, one should aim to harvest about 10 - 15 kg per tree by year 4-5. This is definitely possible (unless there is a major pest problem or a natural calamity). Depending on grid size, the tonnage will add up pretty fast.
According to Jain, they expect to harvest an average of 1.5 tons per acre for Imampasand and 3 tons per acre for Alphonso (this on the lower side due to lesser flowering this year).
A blog follower had inquired if UHD could be grown under organic method of cultivation. I asked the Jain expert regarding the same and he struck down the idea of organic cultivation in UHD. In this intensive form of cultivation, effort is made to obtain maximum fruits per tree. He also mentioned that cultar is used to enhance fruiting. However, the dosage is reduced every subsequent year.
Regarding the grid size, I have come across various combinations in the past year from them - 3x2m , 2.5x2.5m, 4x2m etc..which makes me feel that they are still in the process of determining the "perfect" grid size.
We followed 3x3m spacing since we did not have the bandwidth for 650+ plants per acre. In my next phase, we are planning to do 4x2.5 m (4 m between lines) for easier movement within the plot.
In my opinion, one should aim to harvest about 10 - 15 kg per tree by year 4-5. This is definitely possible (unless there is a major pest problem or a natural calamity). Depending on grid size, the tonnage will add up pretty fast.
According to Jain, they expect to harvest an average of 1.5 tons per acre for Imampasand and 3 tons per acre for Alphonso (this on the lower side due to lesser flowering this year).
Thanks for checking about organic UHD in mango. Since it's a new plantation method, there may not be examples as of doing it organically.
ReplyDeleteSome folks in US are already trying out organic high density plantation in Apple. So, I'm sure with time we're going to see it in mango as well.
As to Cultar application, there are organic growth regulators as well such as ProVide and Q2000+ which could replace Cultar.
Thanks for the info on UHD apple. Good to know organic growth regulators are out there. I will try to find out the efficacy of these products compared to cultar.
DeleteI have doubt, do we need special mango plant for this UHD mango planation ? I am asking this question because the traditional mango tree's stem and brach are heavier , how it can be used in UHD ? So I assume UHD needs special plant , am I right ?
ReplyDeleteThere are no special plants, the plants are similar to the ones in traditional form of cultivation. The only difference is in method of cultivation, primarily pruning of branches. Kindly go through the posts and videos on mango on the blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your details, I appreciate it
ReplyDelete" ..... According to their expert, this year the yield has been lesser than the previous years all over India due to late rains which affected the flowering. ......"
ReplyDeleteThis statement needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Jain Irrigation - couldn't they arrange for sprinkler showers and compensate?
Yes, there is something weird about 1.5 t per acre. Average yield for a normal plantation shud be 2 tonnes plus per acre. And for a better managed planation like Jains, it should maybe be 4 tonnes plus per acre. Maybe the Jain plantation guys you spoke to were employees trying to set low expectations so that they can claim credit if yield exceeds their projections (and save their arses if yields were low).
ReplyDelete