Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to find out the effect of different pruning levels on growth and physiological characters in mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Alphonso under ultra high density planting during 2010-2011 at Jain Irrigation Systems Limited (JISL) Farms, in Tamil Nadu. The treatments viz., control, light pruning, moderate pruning, heavy pruning, 50 per cent removal of past season growth and total removal of past season growth were imposed on five-year-old uniform sized Alphonso trees grown under spacing of 3 x 2 m. The highest fresh weight of pruned branches and maximum number of new flushes after pruning were registered in T 6 (total removal of past season’s growth). The same treatment recorded the maximum C: N ratio in leaves and shoots during harvesting stage. The highest tree height and canopy diameter (EW and NS) were recorded in T 1 (control). The treatment T 4 (heavy pruning) registered the maximum number of new shoots (8.20) emerged from pruned branch after pruning. The highest number of new shoots per plant was registered in control (T 1 ). The pruning treatments also influenced total chlorophyll contents. Control trees recorded the highest leaf area index in all months of observation compared to other treatments. The treatment T 5 (50 per cent removal of past season’s growth and tipping) recorded the highest light transmission ratio among the treatments.

Keywords: Mango pruning, Growth characters, Chlorophyll, LAI and C: N Ratio.