Mango tree Propagation
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To establish a productive mango orchard, a farmer needs first to select carefully the mango variety that is most suitable for the local microclimate and market and then purchase the starting propagation material to start planting. There are 2 main ways to propagate mangos:
- By seed
- By grafted plantlets-seedlings (vegetative propagation)
How to propagate mango by seeds
This propagation method is not very common and can be used only when the mango seeds are poly-embryonic (multiple embryos that produce offspring true-to-type (clones) of the parent plant). For example, mango trees of the Kensington, Carabao, Manila or Ataulfo Pride varieties can be propagated by seeds.
If you choose to start your mango orchard with seeds (in case that is possible), you are advised to keep in mind the following.
- Collect seeds from mature, healthy, large mango fruits.
- The mango seeds lose their viability quickly already 2 weeks after the fruit harvest.
- After removing the seed from the fruit, it must be cleaned well and dry for a few days.
- Remove the kidney shaped embryo-seed from the outer husk.
- For commercial mango growers, using a seedling bed (25 cm deep) is useful (ideal potting mix: 50% coarse river sand, 25% sphagnum peat moss, 25% vermiculite and a slow-release fertilizer.
- Place the seed with the concave edge facing downwards and leave part of the top of the seed uncored with soil).
- Take care to have a good moisture level on the potting medium.
- If the seed is viable and healthy and everything goes by design, the germination will occur up to 2 weeks after planting.
- From that moment on, the seedling needs up to 8 months to become 10-15 cm high and with an 8-10 mm stem diameter.
- Transplant the seedling to the field.
How to propagate mango by grafting
In the commercial cultivation of mango, grafting is the most common propagation method.
The advantage derived from this method is the early fruiting of the tree and the specific knowledge of what variety the plant will bear. It is the surest way of perpetuating the desirable characteristics of parent plants and the good qualities of the fruit.
Grafting is using the plant’s scion and connecting it to its own kind. One tip to be considered to attain better production is that the young scion must come from a tree proven to bear good quality fruits, and the rootstock to be used should be healthy, vigorous and disease free. The scion will bear fruits and not the stock where the scion is connected. Various grafting styles exist, including wedge, side, T graft and whip grafting. The following is an example of wedge grafting.
Advantages of grafting
- Grafted trees come into bearing earlier than ungrafted ones.
- Grafted trees tend to spread out compared to seedlings, which tend to grow upright.
- Grafted trees tend to be shorter and thus easier to harvest, spray and carry out other activities.
- Grafted trees maintain the desirable characteristics of the mother plant, e.g. fruit quality.
How to Connect the Scion with the Rootstock:
Things needed in mango Grafting
- One-year-old tree seedling.
- Scion with pronounced bud.
- Sharp knife for cutting the scion and the stock.
- Black plastic pouch with hole, 5 inches in diameter.
- Grafting tape to wrap the connection of the scion to the stock.
(i) Chip on both sides of the trunk of the scion, making a spear-like shape.
(ii) Take the leaves off the stock where the scion will be connected, which should fit exactly to the split in the stock.
(iii) Cut the rootstock to a height with active growth.
(iv) Fit the scion to the stock and bind the connection with a grafting tape up to the near tip of the scion where young leaves will come out.
(v) Set aside (place the young trees in a shady place) the grafted young seedling and leave it there for one month until new leaves appear.
(vi) If enough leaves exist, lose the grafting tape and remove all the shoots that develop below the graft union.
(vii) Transplant the new plant when the leaves of the shoots are already mature.
Fruit trees bought from a nursery should already have been hardened off. Plant the trees as soon as possible; if kept too long, they may become root-bound or suffer from nutrient deficiencies. Do not place the trees in the sun because the containers will become hot, and the roots could be burnt even before planting. Support the young trees as soon as possible after planting. Remove the nursery tags and surplus graft strips after planting to prevent girdling.
Planting
Start planting at the start of the rainy season. The recommended planting distance varies between crop types. For fertile, deep, friable soil, make deep, wide holes enough to accommodate the mass of soil adhering to the roots of grafted seedlings. For clayey, rocky or poor soils, make deep, big holes with a distance of 30-50 cm are needed. Make sure that the topsoil is mixed with compost or farm yard manure.
References
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323674518_Mango_propagation
https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/mangoes/propagating-mangoes
https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/media/sfylifasufledu/miami-dade/documents/tropical-fruit/CommonMangoQuestionsRevised.pdf
http://apps.worldagroforestry.org/downloads/Publications/PDFS/B20028.pdf
Find more information in the book: “Success in Agribusiness: Growing Mango successfully” written by James Mwangi Ndiritu
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