Alphonso Mango

🥭 Alphonso Mango – Description & Farming Guide

Description

Alphonso Mango, also called Hapus, is regarded as the “King of Mangoes” and is mainly grown in the Konkan region of Maharashtra (Ratnagiri, Devgad, Sindhudurg, Raigad). It is globally famous for its sweetness, rich flavor, and smooth texture, and has received a GI tag.

• Shape & Size: Oval to oblique, medium size (150–300g).
• Skin Color: Green when raw; golden yellow with reddish tinge when ripe.
• Flesh Color: Deep yellow to saffron-colored, fiberless.
• Taste & Aroma: Intensely sweet, rich, and unique with a strong aroma.
• Texture: Smooth, buttery, and juicy.
• Sweetness (TSS/Brix): 20–22° Brix.
• Special Feature: Known worldwide for export quality, aroma, and taste, considered the most premium Indian mango.

Farming / Cultivation Guide

1. Climate Requirement
   • Grows best in tropical & subtropical regions.
   • Ideal temperature: 24–39°C.
   • Requires a dry climate during flowering & fruit setting.
   • Sensitive to frost and heavy rains during flowering.
2. Soil Requirement
   • Prefers lateritic, alluvial, or well-drained loamy soils.
   • Soil pH: 6.0 – 7.5.
   • Avoid saline & waterlogged soils.
3. Propagation
   • Mainly through stone grafting, veneer grafting, or epicotyl grafting.
   • Seed planting is avoided as it does not ensure true-to-type fruits.
4. Planting
   • Spacing: 8m × 8m (100–120 plants per acre).
   • Best planting time: June–July (monsoon season).
5. Irrigation
   • Young plants: Irrigate every 7–10 days.
   • Mature trees: Irrigate at flowering, fruit set, and fruit development stages.
   • Stop irrigation 2–3 weeks before harvest for better sweetness.
6. Manure & Fertilizers (per tree per year)
   • FYM (cow dung): 25–30 kg.
   • NPK dose:
     • Young trees (1–3 yrs): 200–400 g each.
     • Mature trees: 1–2 kg each of N, P, K.
   • Apply micronutrients (Zn, B, Mg) to improve fruit quality.
7. Pruning & Training
   • Maintain a strong central trunk with well-spread branches.
   • Remove diseased, weak, or overlapping branches regularly.
8. Flowering & Fruiting
   • Flowers appear in panicles (Jan–Feb).
   • Fruit matures in 100–120 days after flowering.
   • Harvesting period: April–June (main season).
9. Pests & Diseases
   • Fruit fly, mango hopper, stem borer, mealy bugs are common pests.
   • Powdery mildew, anthracnose, bacterial canker affect flowering & fruiting.
   • Use neem oil sprays, pheromone traps, or recommended fungicides/pesticides.
10. Yield

• Starts bearing fruits in 4–5 years after planting.
• A well-managed mature tree yields 70–100 kg fruits per year.

✅ Profit Potential
Alphonso is the most demanded mango for export due to its taste, aroma, and long shelf life. It fetches premium prices in domestic & international markets (Middle East, Europe, USA). Farmers growing Alphonso under GI-certified zones earn maximum profits.

Would you like me to also prepare a short description (shape, color, taste, sweetness, TSS, etc.) for Alphonso like I did for Gir Kesar and Black Kasturi?