Chapter 43 - Diagnosis and management of nutrient constraints in mango

Abstract

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) like any other perennial fruit crop is a heavy nutrient forager, besides a carbon sink. The fruit crop is grown across length and breadth of the world under varied agropedological conditions. Mango is perhaps one of the perennial fruit crops confronted with a number of physiological disorders (mango malformation, spongy tissue, fruit drop, biennial bearing, black tip, etc.) that are linked with failure of plant nutrition management; however, their direct links with plant nutrition are still lacking. As far as diagnosis of nutrient constraints is concerned, leaf analysis is still by far the most reliable method followed by soil analysis and deficiency symptoms. The cultivar-based leaf nutrient norms are highly warranted with backup support of soil fertility norms. Like any other fruit crop, the mango crop suffers with a multiple nutrient deficiencies. Under such circumstances, simultaneous diagnosis of two or more than two nutrients is a real challenging task. We need a state-of-art skill for precise interpretation of leaf analysis or soil analysis to identify the nutrient constraints and recommended the optimum fertilizer requirement. Nutrient management in mango revolves around a number of viable options like exclusive use of chemical fertilizers, organic management, integrated nutrient management, and of late the drip irrigation-based fertigation, which still needs refinement in years to come. The proposed chapter has attempted to analyze the knowledge development on both diagnosis of nutrient constraints and their effective management.