Delays in mango flowers worry farmers

VIJAYAWADA: The delay in flowering of mango trees in Krishna district may adversely impact the production and also prices in the coming season.

While the flowering season started almost a month ago, most trees are  still devoid of flowers. Mango flowering usually starts from the middle of November, but this year, most trees, especially the popular Banginapalli variety, have not flowered.

While the weather has been conducive for flowering this season, the unexpected delay may pose challenges for mango farmers.

The Krishna district horticulture department officials have identified the problem and visited the fields   with scientists. There are nearly 50,000 hectares of mango fields in Krishna district’s 18 mandals that produce around 3 lakh tons of mangoes.

Surprisingly, the weather has been good this year with no rains, but the delay in flowering may lead to delay in production, said  V. Rama Rao from Ravicherla village.

Assistant director of Krishna district horticulture department  N. Sujatha said that they had identified the problem. The department has suggested that the farmers spray “Multi-K” variety of nutrients and supply one quota of water for the fields.