Malda: ‘Sudden drop in temp likely to affect mango yield’

The sudden drop of temperature assisted by dense fog in Malda for the past 4 days has given rise to a situation which if persists, can delay mango flowering. The temperature has dropped to 9 degrees Celsius and less. There is also a possibility that the bud may fall off causing a severe drop to the mango yield in the coming season. The district Horticulture department fears that flowering may be delayed by two weeks.

Samanta Layek, deputy director of the district Horticulture department, said: “Mangoes need a minimum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius for budding. A few days ago the temperature was higher than normal. Now the temperature has dropped a lot. If this condition persists for some more time and the prevalence of fog increases, it will hinder the blooming of mango buds. The yield will be affected severely.”

Last season, more than 4 lakh metric tons of mangoes were produced in Malda. Mango buds normally come from the second week of January to February and bloom in three consecutive phases. In the 2022-23 winter, during the first phase of the budding, the weather was favourable and buds did not fall. Before Christmas, the temperature was high. It was then that the budding process began but the speed of buds blooming has come to a halt.

Ujjwal Das, a mango farmer, said: “In a warm December in Malda, the blossoms of Lakshmanabhog mango began to bloom. Due to the sudden onset of a chilly weather with dense fog the budding is delayed.” Loknath Kumar, an award winning farmer of mangoes from Araidanga, said: “4-5 days of cold will not cause much damage to the buds. However, if the severity of winter and fog persist, the buds will be damaged. There will be black spots at the base of the bud. Pest infestation will also increase.”