PJB-2023-1548
Delayed harvesting during one season reduces yield of next year’s crop and induces alternate bearing in mango cv. Sammar Bahisht Chaunsa
Abdul Ghaffar Grewal, Muhammad Shahzad Zafar, Maqbool Ahmad, Muhammad Ahsan Qureshi and Niaz Ahmed
Abstract
Fruit harvesting is traditionally delayed in some mango-producing regions of the world to fetch high fruit prices later in the market. This practice badly affects the fruiting pattern of mango trees during the next crop season. Considering the phenomena, a field-oriented study was carried out in Pakistan to understand the role of different harvesting times on the next year’s fruiting. The study was conducted for five consecutive years to properly understand the relationship between harvesting time and the bearing pattern of next year's crop in mango cv. Sammar Bahisht Chaunsa. Mango fruits were harvested at the commercial maturity (CM) stage and followed by 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after CM. The performance of mango plants was evaluated based on their vegetative and reproductive traits as influenced by delayed harvesting. Mango fruits harvested at CM had the highest (72.0%) average postharvest vegetative growth with a maximum (244.1 kg/tree) average fruit yield. In contrast, those harvested 28 days after CM had the lowest (37.5 %) average postharvest vegetative growth with the least (55.6 %) average fruit yield. Delay in the harvesting of mango fruit by 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after CM reduced fruit yield by 16.8, 43.7, 53.9, and 55.6 % when averaged over 5-years data. Harvesting of mango fruit at CM had no bad effects on the next year’s mango fruiting. Based on the results from the present investigation, it is suggested that the harvest window of 10-12 days after CM for mango cv. Sammar Bahisht Chaunsa. If harvested within the proposed harvest window, a delay in fruit harvesting does not cause any significant losses in the yield. The trees may prepare themselves efficiently to bear regular fruit crops with minimum risk of developing alternate bearing habits during the subsequent seasons.
To Cite this article:
Grewal, A.G., M.S. Zafar, M. Ahmad, M.A. Qureshi and N. Ahmed. 2023. Delayed harvesting during one season reduces next year’s crop and induces alternate bearing in mango cv. Sammar Bahisht Chaunsa. Pak. J. Bot., 55(5): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2023-5(1)
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