Unusual rise in night temperature brings down ‘imampasanth' yield

The yield in the popular ‘imampasanth' this season at the Thathachariar Gardens in Srirangam has been far less, particularly due to hot weather condition in the night in December last year. The gardens is noted for highly delicious and mouth watering variety of ‘imampasanth', in the wake of the special cultivation techniques adopted in the fields.

It has been attracting a large number of customers because of specific organic manure in the form of cow dung, the soil condition, and the environmental condition favouring the growth of the fruit.

“Mango yield follows a specific pattern. Every bumper harvest season is followed by a low yield or vice versa; last season, the yield was good, making fall inevitable this year. But the extent of fall is quite unusual,” says S. Rangarajan, who has analysed various factors for the current phenomenon in the yield at the gardens this season.

Mr. Rangarajan says the weather condition during the night especially during the flowering season was not quite favourable for the mango this season, especially during late December and all through January when flowering is visible to naked eye. “A night temperature of less than 20 degree centigrade favours the flowering; but this season, it ranged quite above this mercury mark and even touched 24 or 25 degree,” he says, explaining one of the major changes witnessed this season.

The rise in night temperature has, in turn, resulted in the abundant growth of male flowers – an unfavourable indication for the crop. Mango registers better yield in the presence of larger female flowers; but, it was quite the other way last December. Male flowers outnumbered female ones, due to the rise in night temperature.

Against the normal yield of 300 ‘imampasanth' fruits a tree, the yield is not that good this season. “There has been a growing demand for the fruits among customers and we have been adopting a fair proportion formula to satisfy all of them,” he says.

Cultivation technique is the characteristic feature at this gardens, ensuring a balanced supply of nutrients.

“For every tree, we apply 100 kg of cow dung, four kg of superphosphate, and two kg each of potash and urea. The combination along with the soil and environment add to the delicious nature of the fruits,” Mr. Rangarajan says.

It is round-the-year cultivation practice which keeps the ‘imampasanth' from the gardens dear to customers from several parts for decades together. Shortly after the harvest comes to an end, emphasis is on pruning of trees. The tree is exposed to sunlight and the spacing between two trees is ensured through pruning for preserving the quality of fruits for the successive season.

Mr. Rangarajan says that apart from ‘imampasanth', a few other mango varieties has registered less yield. The ‘banganapalli' variety at the gardens was also below normal. Against per tree yield of 800 fruits, the yield is far less.