Hot spell, pest attack dent prospects for mango yield

Mangoes are falling off from the trees in Rajshahi due to prolonged heatwave, severe drought and pest-attack, dampening prospects for a good yield of the summer fruit in the region.

Mango farmers in the region are anticipating a massive crop failure as they are not getting a solution despite efforts. They are frustrated as there are less mangoes on the trees this season.

Persistent heat-wave, severe drought and infestation of insects have already damaged young mangoes in at least 50 per cent trees.

Even sprinkling of medicine is not working to protect mangoes. Farmers fear that they will greatly suffer if the adverse weather continues damaging the fruit.

Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Rajshahi said if some small mangoes fall, but the rest are preserved, there will not be a crisis.

Therefore, water should be sprinkled at the base of the trees at night or in the early morning to prevent the fruit from falling due to heat and drought.

According to the DAE, there are mango orchards on 93,266 hectares of land in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore districts in the current season. A target has been set to produce around 12.5 lakh tonnes of mangoes from these orchards.

Mango plantations are only on 19,602 hectares of land in Rajshahi district this year, which is 24 hectares more than last year's. The target of mango production in the district is 2,60,165 tonnes this year.

Farmers and traders said that about 70 per cent mango trees have produced buds this season.

If there were sufficient buds, there would be a huge production of mangoes. But due to the rains on March 20 and 21, the buds were destroyed. The buds that had been produced earlier were not harmed.

Now young mangos are falling in a large number due to severe drought and pest attack, which may cause huge losses.

According to the Meteorological Office, the heatwave started sweeping over Rajshahi on April 17.

Maximum temperature on the day was recorded at 40.2°C, on April 18, the maximum temperature was recorded at 39.2°C, on April 19, it was 41°C and on April 20, it was 41.5 °C.

On April 21, it was 41.5°C, on April 22, it was 40°C, on April 23, it was 40.5°C and on Wednesday (April 24), the temperature was recorded at 39.5°C.

Official sources said this hot weather may continue for a few more days. As a result, the mango farmers in Rajshahi region are worried about the hostile weather.

Asif Iqbal of Biharipara village in Puthia upazila of Rajshahi district said he has mango trees of 72 local and foreign varieties in his 30 bigha garden. Hopper and acha insects are damaging mangoes in the orchard. That is why pesticides are being sprayed.

Besides, due to excessive drought, mango pods are drying up and shriveling. Mangoes still thrive in the gardens of those who manage to irrigate moderately and spray the right amount of pesticides. But mangoes of those who cannot tend properly are getting spoiled very quickly. Charghat and Bagha upazilas are specially dotted with mango orchards in Rajshahi district. Sadi Enterprises of Bagha upazila has been exporting mangoes abroad for several years.

Asafuddaula, owner of the organisation, said,"There are hardly any mangoes on the trees this time. Farmers are not taking care of the trees. As a result, insect infestation is seen only in the trees where there are some mangoes."

Tauhidur Rahman Parvez, a mango grower of Godagari upazila, said, "Mangoes are drying up and turning black in the intense heat. Besides, the mangoes dry up and fall off due to insect boring and feeding on the sap. I am worried about the mango yield."

He also said that he did not use medicine beyond the permitted dosage. Workers had earlier warned that mangoes could not be saved from pest attack with only approved dosage of medicine. Finally it happened. All the mangoes in his garden have been destroyed by pests.

Aminul Haq, a mango farmer in Rajshahi's Charghat upazila who cultivated mango in a 10-bigha garden, said, "Young mangoes are either falling off or rotting randomly. I was hopeful with whatever sprouting occurred. But the mango trees are getting deserted."

Md Shafiqul Islam, principal scientific officer of Rajshahi Fruit Research Station of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, said, compared to the previous year, mango buds were already less this time. Many of the mango buds were destroyed due to rain on March 20 and 21 during the budding period. Those which survived are falling apart in the heatwave. So water should be given at the base of the mango trees to prevent the fruit from falling.

Sharmin Sultana, additional deputy director (crop) of the DAE, said that due to lack of rain and severe drought in Rajshahi, mango pods are falling.

During natural calamities like drought, trees should be tended very carefully. In this case, a small quantity of water should be applied at the base of the plants and then urea and potash fertilisers. Apart from this, boric acid should also be sprayed to protect the mango pulp.

She said that it is nature's rule that the number of buds that come on trees during the mango season will not be 100 per cent. However, this year the trees have slightly fewer buds.

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