Bringing any improvement in mango orchards suffering from leafless wood at the top of trees, low yields deteriorated quality of fruit, unhealthy look of fruit, black and brown patches on the skin and the decreasing prices are some of the problems faced by growers in the province.

To my mind, there is lack of light penetration in the tree canopy, irrigation is inadequate, there are pests and diseases, spraying of tall trees is difficult, although rejuvenating old trees will bring about 50 per cent extra income.

In order to increase yields, improve fruit quality and get better prices due to large size of fruit, trees can be rejuvenated and there are methods which have proved to be a total success. A description is being given below of some of the methods for rejuvenation of old orchards.

Production decreases due to shading within trees’ canopy and quality is adversely affected. The main factor player in the game is energy of sunlight, which works at its optimum in the presence of good soil, nutrients, and water and without enormous energy of solar light which is free. There are a number of solutions, but with strong limitations as compared to rejuvenating old orchards by top working. These are categorised as:

(i) nutrient feeding; (ii) irrigation; (iii) pest and disease control; (iv) pruning to allow more light penetration on fruit firming terminals; (v) skeletoning; (vi) stumping; (vii) top working to new varieties.

The first four combined may increase yield by 30 per cent, fifth and sixth each by 50 to 80 per cent and the last easily by 100 to 200 per cent depending on genetic output new varieties. Nutrient feeding: Most of orchardists during the past 30 years have been using nutrition application practices which are un-scientific, do not meet the tree demand, lack micronutrients and when applied they get fixed to our high pH soil.

Irrigation: Irrigation if used properly and restored to can lead to considerable improvements, but that alone is not the solution, as it can improve yields only by 10-15 per cent.

Disease control: It has to be an annual and long-term programme of frequent sprays, for control anthracnose, bacterial black spot and stem end rot. The programme may be 18 monthly sprays to start with, and 3-4 sprays every year afterwards. A yield increase by 30 per cent is possible if these are properly practised, but it seems, growers do not believe in long-term programmes.

Pruning: The purpose of pruning is to admit more light inside the tree and all fruiting branches stems and leaves. All trees have habit of producing a central leader, which shades northern half of the tree, which then flowers late in the season, produces small size fruit and that too of poor quality and spraying is invariably a problem. By removing central leader, another branch will take over as central leader in 4-5 years.

Skeletonising: This amounts to cutting back old trees to a manageable height of about 12 to 15 feet (3.5 to 4.5 meters). New branches will start at the end of the cut and number of branchlets will be produced. Only two to three branchlets on each old branch are retained and rest of them are removed by clean cut with a sharp knife or a saw and painting of cut with copper-lime-linseed oil paste to stop entry of insects, borers, fungus and diseases. Only one branch of tree can be retained for providing photo-synthesised energy to roots. Many branchlets will sprout from the branches in first two years, but they are removed except two to three above mentioned, which will grow very fast.

It is advisable to stand back and observe architecture of tree and decide points of cutting the branches. The skeletonised trees can suffer from sun burn Cheapest way is to paint the tree with lime once a year for 2-3 years till trunk is fully shaded by new branches. This way fruit size and quality will improve and yield can double if other cultural practices are also followed, otherwise only 50 per cent.

Stumping: In this case trunk is cut three to five feet (one to one and half meters) height and new shoot starting from the trunk are used as new branchlets. Five to six branchlets are selected around the trunk to become new branches. The rest of procedure is the same as in skeletonising and first fruiting can be after three years. This can also help in having high density planting in the rest of acreage.

Top-working: Top working is changing original varieties over to new varieties. In this case tree branches should preferably be stumped one and half foot (about half a meter) from the trunk. Many branchlets will grow of which about two to three shoots are selected on each branch for grafting and producing new varieties and rest removed. It is important that all trees in a plot are top-worked simultaneously and no alternative trees are left as trees left will produce new vegetative growth very fast, to fill the inter-space and shade the top-worked trees reducing their growth and vigour, which then would be vertical and not spreading.

In top-working it is advisable to cut back all branches and retain one branch for nursing the tree roots and new growth for one year, but it must be removed after one year, to make new branches to fruit.

The above methods cannot be handled by the Kamdars (workman in charge) of growers. They are too complex for their limited knowledge and training. The government organizations also do not have trained staff, literature and know-how. The only solution is training of growers themselves and engaging well trained, well educated managers having obtained necessary training in private centres, both on the job and supported by theory in actual practices, as new knowledge developed on mango in the past fifteen years is much more than the one acquired in the whole twentieth century or in the last millennia. Imagine five international mango symposiums held during these years and many national mango conferences in Australia, South Africa and some other countries.

Most important development in mango is breeding of new high yield, disease resistant, long shelf-life, colourful, acceptable sizes and shapes, sweet, juicy, flavoured and early, mid season and late varieties instead of selection of chance seedlings as was being done during the last millennia. In the last two decades of the last century, Brazil bred twelve new varieties, Florida seven, India more than two dozens, Australia twelve and South Africa seven and work is continuing.These are already being planted on growers’ fields.