Sustainable agriculture

It is the process of supporting banana plants which have mature or immature bunches to prevent them from lodging/ falling over. A pole with a V-shape end is placed under the bunch to support it. The prop should be placed carefully to avoid fruit injury. The major varieties which require propping are: Grand Nain”, Williams, Valery, Giant Cavendish, FHIA series etc.

The postharvest dormancy is broken by the first summer vegetative flush, which usually coincides with the wet sea-season, slowing as the climate and soil dry out. The leaf-flushing period can have one to five flushing events, with the whole canopy flushing in synchrony or in patches. In years of poor flowering and cropping, several leaf flushes can occur during the flowering and fruiting period.  Although mango is an evergreen tree, large quantities of old leaves are shed during vegetative flushing. The fallen leaves become mulch under the tree, where nutrients are recycled from old leaves to the new leaves.

Profit also depends on the variety of Mangoes. High density farming allows up to 200 plants per acre whereas traditional mango cultivation adopts 45 to 60 plants per acre. Then, this automatically increases the yield per tree for the first 10 years of harvest. While the traditional method generates 2.5 to 3 tonnes, the high-density mango cultivation doubles the yield to about 5 to 6 tonnes per year.

Ultra high-density Plantation is increasingly developed being used for mango plantations across the globe. UHDP can yield up to 200% more crop than the traditional method of cultivation. This system ensures optimal utilization of all resources while increasing the production per unit area. This ensures a uniform shape and colour of the fruit while maintaining its flavour and freshness. The increase in this production leads to higher exports as well. Then, this means more profit margins for the farmers which goes a long way in addressing the need for farmers welfare by improving their economic status.

The components of High-Density planting are; Use of dwarf scion varieties, adopting dwarfing rootstock and inter stocks, Efficient training and pruning, Use of plant growth regulating chemicals and suitable crop management practices.

The advantages of this method include increased yield and improves fruit quality. It reduces labour cost resulting in low cost of production and enables the mechanization of fruit crop production. Facilitates more efficient use of fertilizers, water, solar radiation, fungicide and weedicides. Best utilization of land and resources. Quality production of fruit crops. Easy for performing intercultural operations, plant protection and harvesting. It is profitable compared to traditional mango cultivation because it obtains export quality of the harvest. Requires proper fertigation and irrigation preferably drip. More maintenance than traditional mango cultivation. Easy to harvest as tree height is controlled. Less labour intensive, good sunlight and air penetration, better fruits.

HDP technology is one of the improved production technologies to achieve the objective of; enhanced productivity of fruit crops, Yield and quality of the produce. It mainly aims to achieve the twin requisites of productivity by maintaining a balance between vegetative and reproductive load.