Abstract

A correct understanding of the relationship between various growth features and productivity was shown in the previous paper as essential in successful mango production. Productivity is the ultimate manifestation of the tree performance, from the grower's point of view. But a comparison of this ultimate phase with the growth features does not appear to be valid for the purpose of determining the most useful features of growth for ensuring high production and regular bearing in mangces. The correct basis of study in a problem of this nature would be flowers and not fruits. Flower is undoubtedly a preliminary to fruit, but it does not follow from this that a heavy crop of flowers is always followed by a heavy crop of fruits. It is the universal experience of mango growers that, in several years flowers shed either due to environmental influences or, as is very often the case, due to a heavy attack of hoppers. A bumper crop of blossoms may be entirely lost, turning a prospective good year into one of extreme scarcity. To study the problem of the so-called periodicity or biennial bearing solely on the basis of fruit crop records in the face of these well-known disturbing factors, a good part of which is beyond human control, is naturally not the proper course. The work reported in this paper has therefore been carried out on the above-mentioned basis, viz., that of blossom.

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