Now, grow sweet mangoes in pots at your home
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, July 15
With a plethora of dwarf mango varieties developed by scientists to choose from, space can no longer be a constraint for those dwelling in flats and yet desirous of having their own small mango garden.
The most sought after varieties of Amrapali, Malika and Neelam, mango trees can be easily grown in a pot that can carry 50 kg of mud. These hybrid varieties grow not more than three metres and become full fruit bearing tree within a span of three years.
“Amrapali and Neelam mangoes are hybrid varieties of popular Dasheri mango. The sweetness is at 21 Brics (unit for measuring degree of sweetness) and these varieties are non-fibrous. These varieties can be grown in small places and do not require much space. They continue to bear fruit round the year,” said Brijesh Kumar, geneticist, GB Pant University of Agriculture, who was here to participate in the mango festival.
“However, these varieties were not developed fortuitously but by design so as to give the farmers round-the-year crop of mangoes. In North India, the popular varieties of mangoes such as Langara, Chausa and Dasheri bear fruits every alternate year. This deprived farmers earning every year, so the hybrid varieties were developed, keeping in mind the need of the farmers. These varieties have become popular with amateur growers too,” said Brijesh.
As no standard root stock is available, most of the grafting is carried by the scientists on the seedling.
“It takes several years to come with a hybrid variety, sometimes it may not be in the life time of a scientist. It is uncertain, the tree will take its own time to bear fruits,” said Dr CP Singh, professor GB Pant Nagar University.
Interestingly a clear North South divide exists so far as the popularity of mango varieties is concerned. “While Dasheri, Chausa and Langra varieties of mangoes are coveted by North Indians, in the South there are other varieties that are popular such as Baganphali, Humayudin, Rumani etc. Similarly, in Gujarat the Kesar variety is popular and in Ratnagiri (Maharashtra) the only seedless variety of mango called Sindhu is quite popular,” said DS Mishra, scientist, GB Pant Nagar University.
Then, to tap the international market, scientists have also developed exotic varieties of mangoes by grafting with Aldin and Tommy Atkin varieties, exported from abroad. “These varieties are red in colour, similar to the apple. I have started growing the Tommy Atkin variety in my farm. These have less sugar and are good for those with diabetes,” said Ram Vriksh Sahni, a farmer from Nanakmata.
