The document discusses the importance of irrigation management for mango orchards, emphasizing that effective scheduling is crucial for optimizing fruit size and quality. It outlines different irrigation methods, such as conventional and modern techniques, and highlights how water requirements increase with tree age and vary based on soil type and climatic conditions. Recommendations for maintaining soil moisture during critical growth stages are provided, along with research findings on the impact of irrigation practices on mango yield.

1. Submitted by:
Sreenivas Reddy.K
V.YAMINI
1

2. Irrigation
management in
mango
2

3. Introduction
 Mango tree is evergreen grown in tropical and subtropical
regions, mango is known as the ‘king of fruits’.
 The success of mango orchards largely depends on method and
management of irrigation. Proper irrigation scheduling,
especially during the period of plant growth and fruit
development, plays vital role in the sustainability of orchard.
 The objective of irrigation is to apply the required quantity of
water as per tree requirement at the right time.
 The frequency and amount of irrigation need depends on the
type of soil, its properties, prevailing climatic conditions,
rainfall and distribution, age and size of trees.
3

4.  Most of the areas cultivated with mango are located in regions of
short periods of rain, where water deficit takes place most of the
year in the soil water balance.
 Mango tree is considered drought resistant to some extent; however
soil moisture influences the fruit size, quality as well as the drop of
immature fruits. It is also observed that moisture deficit in soil
results in early maturity to fruits resulting in poor quality.
 The water requirement of a mango tree increases with the increase in
the age of a tree and becomes constant when the full canopy has
been developed at the age of about 20 years to 25 years.
4

5. 5

6. 6

7. Crop wise Area and Production of Horticulture
Crops for three years
7

8. Harvest pattern in leading mango
growing states
8

9. METHODS OF IRRIGATION:
 Mango orchards are usually irrigated by conventional methods
such as flood, basin, ring and furrow. However, some of the
progressive growers have changed irrigation strategies and now
they are irrigating their orchards with modern micro-irrigation
methods such as drip and under tree sprinkler system.
 Each system has advantages and disadvantages, as one system
may be suitable for one set of conditions but unsuitable for
another. Therefore, proper selection of an irrigation method is
imperative for better yield and quality of mango production.
9

10.  While selecting an irrigation system, it is advisable to consider
available water resource, soil type, age and canopy of tree and
climatic conditions of the area.
 Basin system has given better results where sufficient water is
available.
 It is advisable to irrigate the entire soil surface up to plant
canopy.
 With limited water resources and climatic conditions where
annual evaporation is higher than annual rainfall, drip (trickle)
irrigation is more appropriate than that of under tree sprinkler
system.
10

11. Mango orchard irrigating through
Drip
11

12. The drip irrigation schedule is based
on evapotranspiration rates
12

13. Ring method of irrigation:
13

14. WATER REQUIREMENT:
 The water requirement of a mango tree increases with the
increase in the age of a tree and becomes constant when the
full canopy has been developed at the age of about 20 years
to 25 years.
 In light soil (sand to sandy loam) irrigation frequency
should be more than in heavy (clay) soils.
 The more sandy and gravelly the soil, the more frequent
irrigations it needs.
14

15.  Depending on soil type, climatic conditions, plant density,
variety, size and age of trees, the annual water requirements
vary from 50 to 400 liters/day/plant.
 Plant water requirement increases dramatically during fruit
development.
 The moisture can be extracted by plant within 2-7 days
depending on soil type, age of tree and climatic conditions.
15

16. CRITICAL STAGES:
Flowering
Fruit set
Fruit
development
16

17. CRITICAL STAGES
 As per mango tree phenology, there are five stages of life cycle
viz. flowering, fruit development, vegetative growth, root
development, and dormancy.
 About 80 per cent water is required by tree during flowering
and fruit development stages.
 It is advisable to stop irrigation at least 10 to 15 days before
harvest.
 Irrigation during maturity will stimulate growth of new buds
and leaves resulting in poor fruit quality.
17

18. EFFECTIVE ROOT ZONE DEPTH
 Most of the feeding roots are found at distances from the
plant of 0.9 m to 2.6 m and at depths from soil surface to
0.90 m though root penetration was noticed up to 2 m soil
depth.
18

19. Irrigation scheduling:
 The daily water requirements of mango varies from 28 to 85
L/day/plant.
 Soil moisture stress from NOV. end to JAN. end recommended
for good flowering.
 Regular irrigation during fruit setting and development period
reduces fruit drop considerably.
 Greatest decrease in fruit yield is caused by water deficits
during the flowering and fruit development period, due mainly
to a reduction in number of flowers, fruit number and fruit
size.
19

20. water use rates of mango
1st Year : 10-12L/tree
2nd Year : 18-20L/tree
3rd Year : 45-50L/tree
4th Year : 60-65L/tree
5th Year : 75-80L/tree
6th Year : 90-95L/tree
7th Year Onwards 100-120L/tree
20

21. CROP COEFFICIENT VALUES:
Flowering
= 0.40
Fruit
development
= 0.85
Fruit ripening
=
0.60
21

22.  The annual Water requirement for a mature orchard of 8-10
years old was found to be 1100-1300mm/year.
 Taking into account the level of evaporative demand to meet
full crop water requirements management allowable depletion
level (DASM) during the,
Reproductive stage : 0.35
Other stages : 0.6
22

23.  Likewise irrigation at an IW/CPE ratio of 0.75 at critical
growth stages and 0.5 at other stages was found to be
optimum.
 The threshold soil water potentials for scheduling
irrigations based on tensiometer readings for mango should
be in the range of :
15-25 : Coarse textured soils
30-60 : Fine textured soils.
23

24. Best practice guidelines
 A monitoring program should be used to schedule both
the timing of irrigations and the volume of water to be
applied.
 Tensiometers are a useful tool to assist with irrigation
scheduling. If used, they should be installed at depths of
250 and 600 mm. Irrigation should occur when the
shallow tensiometer reads 20 - 35 kpa.
 The movement of irrigation water in the soil profile
should be monitored to ensure deep drainage is
minimised.
24

25. 25
 A layer of mulch under the tree is important to reduce
evaporation and increase soil organic matter.
 Maintaining adequate soil moisture during flowering /
fruit set / fruit fill is essential for achieving optimum
yields.
 Efficient crop water use and high yield potentials can only
be achieved if the agronomic factors such as nutrition,
disease and pest management are also optimise

26. findings
26

27. IIHR Banglore ongoing research
MANGO
 The fruit yields in mango increased with increase in
evaporation replenishment rate and was highest with 60%
evaporation replenishment. The fruit yield decreased with
deficit irrigation but the water productivity was higher with
reduced deficit irrigation.
 Application of bio fertilizer (300 g) along with 60% of
recommended dose of fertilizer resulted in higher yields. The
water productivity was higher with 50% evaporation
replenishment.
27

28.  An experiment conducted at dapoli has revealed that irrigation
for mango applied at 60L/tree/week through Micro irrigation
produced 152.7% higher yield compared to manual watering
with equivalent amount of water. (Goyal, 2014).
 The field experiment conducted by Kumar et al. 2008 on
Organic mulching with Irrigation scheduling through Drip on 5
year old mango was conducted at Bhubaneswar and results
revealed that Max. fruit no.(530.45) and yield(86.40kg/tree)
were recorded due to Organic mulching and irrigation at 75%
PER (Pan evaporation replenishment. )
28

29. WATER REQUIREMENTSAND WATER USE OF
MANGO ORCHARDS
Mohammad et.al
The Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences, 25(4): 2015, Page:
1008-1015
29

30. conclusion
 The total net annual mango water use had an
averaged value of 31.63 m3/tree/season.
 while the average annual mango water
requirement was 6527 m3/ha/season under drip
irrigation and 9790 m3/ha/season under surface
irrigation.
30

31. Prakash et al. 2015
 A field experiment for drip irrigation regimes and fertigation levels in
mango in 4 years old trees of “Alphonso” was conducted.
 Three irrigation levels are: I1 : 16L/day/plant
I2 : 20L/day/plant
I3 : 24L/day/plant.
• Four fertigation levels are : F1 : 50%RD
F2 : 75% RD
F3 : 100% RD
F4 : 125% RD
RESULTS
 The results revealed that among the irrigation treatments I3
24L/day/plant recorded highest % of fruit set, fruit weight, no. of
fruits/tree, fruit yield and quality characters like TSS and Ascorbic acid
content with 100% RD.
31

32. Wei, 2017
 Irrigation of mango plantations is necessary to ensure
high fruit yields and a favorable fruit size distribution.
 when the soil moisture content is controlled at about
65–70% of the field water moisture capacity, water
demand in the growth and development of mango can
be ensured, and maximum production efficiency of
irrigation and the best quality of fruit can be achieved.
32

33. Soil water storage initial (SM0) and final (SMf) time interval, accumulated
rainfall and/or irrigation , accumulated deep drainage , accumulated mango
orchard evapotranspiration and percentage error (e), for the observational
period
Water requirements of irrigated mango orchards
de Azevedo et.al
Agricultural Water Management 58 (2003) 241–254
33

34. Influence of irrigation during the growth stage on yield
and quality in mango (Mangifera indica L)
Junya Wei et al.
34
PloS one. 12(4): p.e0174498.

35.  Five soil water content treatments (relative to the percentage
of field water capacity) for irrigation
 T1:79%-82%, T2:75%-78%, T3:71%-74%, T4: 65%-70%,
T5:63%-66%.
 Amount of applied irrigation water for different treatments
varied from 2.93m3 to 1.08 m3. The results showed that
mango fruit production and quality at fruit growth stage were
significantly affected under different irrigation water amounts
conclusion
 However, the T4 treatment produced significant increases in
the average fruit weight, diameter and length. Irrigation of
mango plantations is necessary to ensure high fruit yields and
a favorable fruit size distribution. From these studies, we
conclude that T4 treatment, 65%-70% of field water capacity,
can promote fruit growth and development and improve fruit
internal quality
35

36.  Total seasonal water requirement of these mature mango trees
under optimal irrigation was approximately 11 976 m3/ha/year.
Furthermore, the seasonal water use of trees not subjected to
water stress, varied from 20 to about 44 m3/ha/day during
winter and summer, respectively(Mostert and Hoffman,
1996).
 Weekly irrigation with conventional method or with 1/3rd of
water with micro irrigation methods results in higher yield of
mango. (Biswas and Lalit kumar, 2011).
36

37. Kumar et al. 2008:
 The long term experimental results revealed that
significantly maximum canopy volume, fruit number and
yield were recorded due to daily drip irrigation at 75% pan
evaporation replenishment. The fruit quality such as fruit
dry weight, pulp weight, peel weight, stone weight and TSS
were observed to be improved due to drip irrigation but
remained at par with rain fed (control). Maximum fruit
volume and soil moisture content was recorded due to daily
drip irrigation at 100 % evaporation replinishment.
37

38. Effect of irrigation on number of fruits per
plant, fruit characters and quality attributes
of mango
Babul et al.
Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 38(1): 127-136,
March 2013
38

39. The treatments
I1: Irrigation at 15th October, I2 : Irrigation at 15th October and 15
November. I3 : Irrigation at 15th of each month
starting from October and continued up to December, I4 : Irrigation at 15th
of each month starting from October and continued up to January,
I5 : Irrigation at 15th of each month starting from October and continued
up to February, I6: Irrigation at 15th of each month starting from October
and continued up to March, I7 : Control (no irrigation).
conclusion
Irrigation following basin method was applied up to field capacity. From the
results, it reveals that irrigation on 15 October and 15 November may be
recommended for better flowering, higher yield, and quality. It also reveals that
when irrigation continues beyond November stating from October, once in a
month, only a few panicles emerge and the yield becomes very low
39

40.  The highest fruit yield (77.23 kg/plant) was recorded from the
plot irrigated at 20KPa metric tension. The benefit cost ratio
was highest for the mango plot irrigated through drip irrigation
at 20KPa soil matric tension. (Singh, 2000).
 The highest fruit yield and irrigation water use efficiency were
obtained when the soil is irrigated at 65-70% of soil moisture
content.(Wei, 2016).
40

41.  Deficit irrigation strategies can save considerable amounts of
water without affecting the yield to a large extend, possibly
increasing the average fruit weight, apparently without
negativelong termeffects (Spreer, 2009).
 Stem water potential can be used as a water stress indicator in
mango trees.
 Stem water potential values of non-stressed mangoes ranges
between -0.4 to -0.6Mpa.
 These values can be used for irrigation scheduling.
(Grossman, 2003)
41

42.  An experiment conducted at Brazil showed that mango yield
varied from a minimum of 28.06t/ha when irrigated at 100% of
ETo and the maximum yield of 31.06t/ha was obtained when
irrigated at 90% of ETo. (Silva, 2009).
 Geerts and Raes, (2009) reported that deficit irrigation is
successful in increasing water productivity of several crops
without causing several yield reductions.
42

43. References
 Wei, J., Liu, G., Liu, D., and Chen, Y., 2017. Influence of irrigation during the
growth stage on yield and quality in mango (Mangifera indica L). PloS one. 12(4):
p.e0174498.
 Biswas, B.C. and Kumar, L. 2017. Revolution in mango production success stories
of some farmers .
 KAU (Kerala Agricultural University) 2016. Package of Practices
Recommendations: Crops (15th Ed.). Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur,
pp:203-204.
 Liu, D.B., Wei, J.Y., Liu, G.Y., Chen, Y.Y. 2011. Studying on the changes of Guifei
mango and Tainong mango tree annual change of water. J. South China Fruits.
40(3):64–66.
 Doorenbos, J. and Kassam A.H. 1979. Yield response to water (Irrigation and
Drainage Paper No. 24). Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
(FAO). Rome.Italy.
 Spreer, W., Müller, J., Hegele, M., Ongprasert, S. 2009. Effect of deficit irrigation
on fruit growth and yield of mango (Mangifera indica L.) in Northern Thailand. In:
Proceedings of the 8th International Mango Symposium. J. Acta Hortic. 820(2):
357–36443

44.  Reddy, Y.T.N., Sampathkumar, P., Raghupath, H.B., and Panneerselvam, P.
Ongoin,2017. Optimizing water productivity and nutrient dynamics through
integrated water and nutrient management of fruit crops (mango, grapes and sapota).
 Pawell, E.W., Vanassche F.M.G., and Grossman, Y.L. 2003. Optimisation of
irrigation management in mango trees by determination of water and carbon
demands to improve WUE and fruit quality.
 Mostert, P.G and Hoffman, J.E. 1997. Water requirements and irrigation of mature
mango trees. Acta Hortic. pp:455-463.
 Silva, V.R., Veira, P, and de Azevedo. 2009. Water use efficiency and
evapotranspiration of mango orchard grown in northeastern region of Brazil. Sci.
Hort. 120(4):467-472.
 Greets, S. and Raes, D. 2009. Deficit irrigation as on farm strategy to maximize
crop water productivity in dry areas. Agric. Water Management 96(9):1275-1284.
 Spreer, W., Ongprasert, B., and Hegele, M. 2009. Yield and fruit development in
mango (Mangifera indica L. cv. Chok Anan) under different irrigation regimes.
44

45. 45