Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
exert considerable influence on productivity as has been reported in few
cases have not been systematically investigated across agro-ecologies
and varieties, hence delineation of their specified roles remains severely
constrained. Experiences have shown that the above factors many times,
either individually or synergistically influence productivity through their
impacts on phenophases responses within a given fruiting season, their ef-
fects getting perpetuated in the following years. Studies to intervene and
manipulate phenophases/tree physiology aberrations both in the country
as well as in other mango producing countries of the world, by the use of
'
Paclobutrazol
' which is antigibberellins, through its physiological action
promotes flower induction at the expense of vegetative growth. Its uncon-
trolled use however, year after year without ensuring adequate founda-
tion growth of active shoot mass per tree by appropriate crop husbandry
practices, besides disturbing the phenological phases which, otherwise
normally under intimate balance also has residue problems with attendant
environmental concerns. This, prominently flags for focused research on
the role of root dynamics in regulation of flowering in mango as '
root sig-
nals
' arising out down /up regulating of certain genes appear critical. The
dynamism of temperature fluxes, unpredictablethough, as has been occur-
ring in some parts of the country especially, in the regions of Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal in the recent years, appears
to be adversely impacting productivity through induction of '
recurrent
flowering
' over several short spells within the same fruiting season. This
phenological aberration could have cascading effects on tree physiology in
a perennial tree crop like mango, the details of whichhowever needs to be
investigated critically. Meanwhile, it is of interest to note here that some
of the exotic colored varieties viz., Tommy Atkins and Kent, etc., show-
ing resilience to weather dynamics by such features as high percentage of
hermaphrodite flowers, fruit set per panicle, fruit retention to final harvest,
yield potential even under adverse weather dynamics as is being observed
under the Konkan conditions, should prompt the researchers to delve into
the association of genes responsible for color trait with the climate resil-
ience trait(s). This empirical appraisal once again prominently flags the
research gap in the valuation of the diverse genetic resources under dif-
ferent mango producing ecologies for their responses to varied changes of
agro-climatic conditions so that appropriate gene products could be pro-
filed in order to exploit biotechnological tools to address the challenges
of developing climate resilient varieties. The economy and livelihoods of
