What practical methods are there for retaining flowers and fruit in mango?
What methods are there for retaining flowers and fruit in mango? I need advice. The flowering and fruit-setting period of mango is an extremely critical period in mango production management. The management measures during the flowering and fruit-setting period include the following aspects: 1. Tidying up flowering branches and shoots. About 2 months before flower bud differentiation, remove overly dense branches, shaded weak branches, and diseased and pest-infested branches, leaving only...
What methods are there for retaining flowers and fruit in mango? I need advice.
The flowering and fruit-setting period of mango is an extremely critical period in mango production management. The management measures during the flowering and fruit-setting period include the following aspects:
1. Tidying up flowering branches and shoots. About 2 months before flower bud differentiation, remove overly dense branches, shaded weak branches, and diseased and pest-infested branches, leaving only 1 to 2 shoots per branch. This can increase the light penetration of the canopy, help concentrate nutrients, and create good ventilation and light conditions, promoting flower bud differentiation and preventing disease and pest outbreaks.
2. Cultivating and attracting flies for pollination. Before flowering in a longan orchard, pile up garbage in the orchard or compost bran manure, chicken manure, salted fish scraps, poultry and livestock offal, etc., which can cultivate and attract flies to come to the orchard to reproduce and pollinate. However, using flies can only provide partial pollination.
3. Application of trace elements and calcium fertilizer. From flowering to the young fruit stage of mango, lime can be applied to reduce soil acidity and the content of harmful iron, aluminum, and manganese, and to raise calcium levels. Generally, apply 0.6 to 0.8 kg of lime per tree, or spray a 2% calcium chloride solution from flowering to fruit setting. For the application of zinc and boron, spray a 0.2% zinc sulfate and 0.2% borax solution once 10 days before flowering and once at full bloom and after flower drop, to promote pollination and fruit set. When applying, it can be mixed with pesticides during disease and pest control for foliar fertilization, and combined with irrigation. For soil application, apply 100 g of zinc sulfate and 50 g of borax per tree, combined with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers before autumn shoot sprouting.
4. Spraying flower- and fruit-retaining agents: use 50 to 100 ppm gibberellin, spraying once every 15 to 20 days after flower drop, for a total of 2 to 3 sprays, which has a certain effect on improving the fruit-setting rate. Or use the following method: Full bloom stage: spray 50 to 70 ppm of fangluosu (produced in Sichuan) + 0.3% borax. One week after flower drop: spray 50 to 70 ppm of fangluosu (produced in Sichuan) or 300 times duoxiaohao or 1.8% aiduoshuo 0.5-1 ppm + 0.2% monopotassium phosphate. Two to three weeks after flowering: spray 30 to 50 ppm of "920" plus 0.3% urea.
5. Topdressing. (1) Rhizosphere topdressing: from after flower drop to the rapid expansion stage of young fruit, apply topdressing according to tree vigor and fruit load. Fertilization is mainly nitrogen and potassium fertilizers. For trees under 10 years old, apply 0.3 to 0.5 kg each of urea and potassium fertilizer per tree; for trees over 10 years old, apply 0.5 to 1.0 kg each of urea and potassium fertilizer per tree; for trees with few fruits, nitrogen fertilizer may be omitted and only potassium fertilizer supplemented, applying 0.3 to 1.0 kg of potassium fertilizer per tree depending on tree age. During fruit growth, for weak trees with many fruits, an appropriate amount of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers can also be supplemented in June. (2) Foliar topdressing: spray 0.3% boric acid and 0.2-0.3% monopotassium phosphate once each at full bloom, at the end of flowering, and at the young fruit stage.
6. Fruit thinning and pruning of fruiting branches. Fruit thinning is carried out within 15 to 30 days after flower drop, when young fruits are about the size of peanut grains. Keep only 2 to 4 fruits per panicle, preferably in the central position, selecting larger young fruits with tender green color and strong growth vigor. The retained fruits should be evenly distributed within the canopy and among branches, preferably so that fruits are not tightly pressed against one another. After physiological fruit drop in mango, the panicle axis is difficult to shed naturally, so it should be cut off manually to avoid wind rubbing and injuring the fruit skin, which affects appearance. However, the Irwin and Jinhuang mango varieties should be retained.
7. Promoting coloration. For some varieties with good red skin color, such as Hongmang No. 6 and Irwin mango, during mid-fruit-stage pruning, remove shaded weak branches and diseased and pest-infested branches that block the fruit, so that each fruit receives sufficient light and colors evenly. Before bagging the fruit, spray 70% dithianon wettable powder 1 to 2 times, which can make Irwin mango's appearance ruddy and glossy; spraying 50% benomyl wettable powder can promote delicate fruit skin and the development of bloom; spraying 80% sulfur wettable powder can promote red and yellow skin color and the development of bloom.
8. Bagging. The fruit development period of mango is a time of high temperature and frequent rain, and fruit bagging is the best way to protect the fruit from disease and pests. Before bagging, spray fungicides and insecticides first, or dip the paper bags in the liquid medicine before use, tie them tightly after bagging, and leave drainage holes at the bottom of the bag to drain accumulated water. The size of mango bags varies by variety. The general specifications are: length 22 to 30 cm, width 15 to 20 cm. The paper bag material can be composed of white wax paper, black kraft paper, and non-woven fabric. The bagging time is generally after fruit setting is basically stable, that is, after the second physiological fruit drop ends, when the fruit grows to the size of an egg. Purple-flower mango is bagged about 35 days after flower drop, and Irwin mango is bagged 30 to 50 days before harvest, which is beneficial for fruit coloration. Jinhuang mango can be bagged earlier, or bagged 45 days before harvest.
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