Growing mango
Mangifera indica · also called aamMango is a large evergreen fruit tree of the warm plains and coasts, raised from grafted plants. It needs frost-free winters and dry weather at flowering, so it does not suit the Kashmir valley or Ladakh.
Arid west: Rajasthan, Kutch, north Gujarat
At a glance
Mango in the Arid west
Summer: picked from May to July, by variety
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.Fruit is ready about 100 to 150 days after flowering, by variety. A grafted tree starts bearing in its third to fifth year and goes on for decades.
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.July to August3
Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
- Transplant
- Harvest
- Today
- Not suited here
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See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arid west | July to AugustFebruary to March | May to July | ||
| Temperate Himalaya | Not suited here | |||
| Cold desert | Not suited here | |||
| Sub-tropical foothills | September to early OctoberFebruary to April | MayLate JuneFirst half of JulySecond half of JulyFirst half of August | ||
| North-west plains | August to SeptemberFebruary to March | First week of JulySecond week of JulyEnd of July | ||
| Gangetic plains | July to AugustFebruary to March | Late May to August | ||
| North-east hills and valleys | June to August, in the monsoon | June to August | ||
| Central plateau | July to AugustFebruary to March | May to July | ||
| Deccan plateau | July to AugustFebruary to March | April to June | ||
| South interior | July to December | March to June | ||
| West coast | July to AugustFebruary to March | March to May | ||
| East coast | July to December | March to June | ||
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
First year
FYM
10 kg per tree
Second to fifth year
FYM
10 kg more per tree each year
Sixth year onwards
FYM
50 kg per tree a year
Day 0
Sow
Day 100 to 150
Last picking
No published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Before sowing
FYM
10 kg per tree · First year
FYM
10 kg more per tree each year · Second to fifth year
FYM3
50 kg per tree a year · Sixth year onwards
Day 0
Sow
Day 100 to 150
Last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water every 7 to 10 days, more at fruit set and fruit development.3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1
5.5 to 7.5
Grows on many soils, and grows well on deep, well-drained sandy loam. Avoid heavy black cotton soil and saline or alkaline land.
SunlightNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Full sun. Mango is a large tree that fruits on the outside of a sunny, open canopy.
Temperature1,3
Grows best at 24 to 27 °C
Frost: none tolerated.
Monthly temperatures for the Arid west aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Do not water often in the 2 to 3 months before flowering. Basin irrigation is usual; drip uses less water. Adjust watering in the early years to the intercrops grown between the trees. Here mango depends wholly on irrigation: water young trees every 5 to 7 days in summer and bearing trees every 7 to 10 days from fruit set to harvest, preferably by drip.
Weeding3
Control weeds by hand, by machine and with organic or plastic mulch. In established orchards, plough the spaces between the trees 2 to 3 times a year. Black polythene mulch in the tree basins keeps weeds down and holds moisture.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| First year | FYM | 10 kg per tree | |
| Second to fifth year | FYM | 10 kg more per tree each year | |
| Sixth year onwards | FYM | 50 kg per tree a year |
Varieties and yield
40 to 80 kg a tree
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
Bombay Green, Chausa, Dashehari and Langra
Grown in Rajasthan.
Kesar, Alphonso, Rajapuri, Vanraj, Jamadar, Totapuri, Neelum, Dashehari and Langra
Grown in Gujarat.
Good neighbours1
Grows well with
Pests and diseases3
Organic and cultural controls only.
Mango hopper
Signs
Nymphs and adults suck sap from tender shoots and flowers, which dry and drop. Their honeydew grows black sooty mould. Numbers build up in February to April and June to August.
What to do
- Prune in December and keep the orchard clean
- Prune crowded, overlapping branches after the rains so the canopy stays open
- Remove weeds and other host plants such as hibiscus and guava nearby
- Protect natural enemies such as lacewings and egg parasitoids
Prevention
- Avoid dense planting
- Do not overdo nitrogen
Mango mealy bug
Signs
Flat, white, mealy insects suck sap from shoots, panicles and fruit stalks and leave sooty mould. Nymphs climb the trunk from the soil in winter.
What to do
- Plough the orchard in summer to expose the eggs to heat and natural enemies
- Remove weeds and grasses in June and July
- Destroy infested fallen leaves in July and August
Prevention
- In mid-December, band the trunk about 50 cm above the ground with a 20 cm wide polythene sheet and grease its lower edge so the nymphs cannot climb
Fruit fly
Signs
Puncture marks on ripening fruit that ooze; maggots feed on the pulp and the fruit rots and drops.
What to do
- From 30 to 40 days before harvest, collect and destroy infested and fallen fruit
- Plough the orchard to expose the pupae to the sun
- Set methyl eugenol traps through the orchard to catch the male flies
Stem borer
Signs
Grubs tunnel under the bark into the trunk; frass comes out of the holes, leaves yellow and shoots dry. Bad attacks kill the tree.
What to do
- Pull the grubs out of the holes with a hooked wire
- Cut out and destroy dead and badly attacked branches
- Scrape loose bark so the beetles cannot lay eggs under it
Prevention
- Avoid wounding the trunk base while pruning
- Remove other host trees such as moringa and silk cotton near the orchard
Stone and pulp weevils
Signs
Grubs tunnel through the flesh into the stone; damage often shows only when the fruit is cut.
What to do
- Collect and destroy fallen and infested fruit every week until harvest
- Clean the branch junctions on the trunk in October, before flowering, to disturb resting weevils
- Plough after harvest and destroy leftover stones
Leaf webber
Signs
Caterpillars web tender shoots and leaves together and feed inside the webs.
What to do
- Prune crowded, overlapping branches
- Pull out the webs and burn them
- Plough the orchard to destroy the resting pupae
Bark eating caterpillar
Signs
Ribbons of silk, droppings and wood chips on the trunk and branch forks, over zigzag tunnels.
What to do
- Kill the caterpillars by pushing an iron spike into the tunnels
- Collect and burn affected branches
- Use a light trap for the moths
Powdery mildew
Signs
White powder on flowers, panicle stalks, young leaves and fruit; flowers fail to open, blacken and drop. Cool nights and mist at flowering favour it.
What to do
- Prune so sunlight and air get into the canopy
Prevention
- Feed in balance
- Varieties such as Neelum, Zardalu and Bangalora resist it
Anthracnose
Signs
Brown to black spots on leaves, panicles and twigs; flowers die before setting fruit, and ripe fruit gets sunken dark spots. Rain and humidity at flowering favour it.
What to do
- Prune every year and clear fallen plant debris
Prevention
- Wide spacing, and intercrops that do not host the disease
Mango malformation
Signs
Young plants form bunches of short shoots with small leaves (witch's broom). On bearing trees the panicles become thick, crowded and dry into black masses.
What to do
- Destroy badly affected plants
- Cut out affected parts with 15 to 20 cm of healthy-looking wood
Prevention
- Plant only healthy nursery stock
Bacterial canker
Signs
Water-soaked spots on leaves, stems and fruit that turn into raised, dark cankers and ooze gum. Spreads fast in rainy weather.
Prevention
- Keep the orchard clean and plant certified stock
- Raise rootstocks only from stones of healthy fruit
- Windbreaks cut the rubbing and wounds through which it enters
Dieback
Signs
Twigs dry back from the tip, leaves look scorched, and cracked branches ooze gum. Most visible in October and November.
What to do
- Prune out infected wood at once, taking about 3 inches (7.5 cm) of healthy wood below the infection
Prevention
- Use scion wood free of infection
Black tip
Signs
From marble size, a pale patch at the tip of the fruit spreads, turns black and hardens. Smoke from brick kilns is the cause.
Prevention
- Plant orchards 5 to 6 km away from brick kilns, with rows running north to south
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed1
Mango is grown from grafted plants, because seedlings vary. Stones are saved only to raise rootstocks: take them from ripe fruit of seedling trees.
Mango stones lose viability quickly, so do not store them: sow soon after taking them out of the fruit, and keep only stones that sink in water.
After the last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Arid west, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Mango is a perennial, so nothing is cleared after harvest. Collect and destroy fallen fruit, plough the orchard after harvest and take out dead and diseased wood.
Collect fallen and damaged fruit and destroy it, which cuts fruit fly. Compost healthy leaves and prunings; burn diseased twigs rather than leaving them in the orchard.
Rotation
When an old orchard is removed, grow a few seasons of legumes, green manure or vegetables before planting fruit trees again.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- IPM package of practices for mango (for producing quality fruits for export)Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Government of India (reviewed by ICAR-CISH Lucknow)Read the source
- Mango (horticulture: fruits)TNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
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