H Ravishankar, Director CISH said, "Dussehri mangoes are especially prone to this phenomenon. It is a condition that occurs due to poor soil management and because the right nutrients are not added to the soil in time."
He said that over ripening affects Dussehris more than any other variety of mangoes and it can be reduced by putting calcium chloride on the mango tree in the pre harvesting stage. He also suggests dipping of the fruit in a calcium chloride solution after it has been picked up.
Another scientist, Vidhu Sane said the use of 1-Methylcyclopropene can also help is reducing the softening of the mango. It is believed that the mango production in the country could be significantly increased by applying better soil and water conservation technologies.
Ravishankar also said that understorey crops like pasture, ornamental crops, medicinal and aromatic plants should be incorporated to improve productivity of mangos. He estimates that if 5% irrigated area is shifted from cereal crops to horticulture crops it would create 50% more productive jobs in the agriculture sector.
The solutions to the problems were presented at the National Seminar on Mango Biodiversity for Livelihood, a four-day seminar being organised at CISH.
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