04 May Mango malformation : A serious problem in mango growing
आम का गुच्छा-मुच्छा रोग: आम उत्पादन में एक गम्भीर समस्या The disorder was first reported by Maries (Watt, 1891) in Darbhanga, Bihar (India). In the last three decades or so it has assumed an alarming situation in the Northern India where it is threatening for the mango growers because all the commercial cultivars are highly susceptible to malformation. It widely occurs in Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and less prevailing in Gujarat and Maharashtra. However, it is negligible in West Bengal and Bihar. The southern mango growing regions like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala almost free from this disorder. Symptoms of malformation: The incidence of malformation varies from year to year, cultivar to cultivar and also with age of the trees. Generally it is occur in two forms; vegetative and floral malformation. i. The vegetative malformation is observed at seedling stage in nursery. On, seedling over three month old, swelling appears in the axil of leaves. The affected plant shows bunching of terminal portion of leaf, shortening of the size of leaf lamina, shortening of internodal length and reduced length of petiole. ii. Flora malformation directly affects the tree productivity. In the case of bearing trees the panicles are affected. The peduncles become thick and fleshy with profuse branching. The floral branches are crowded and enlarged...