K'taka: Adverse weather to affect mango yield

Gulbarga, Apr 4: Mango yield is likely to be badly affected this season due to adverse weather conditions, including low moisture content in the atmosphere.

Horticulture department Director Krishna Murthy said scanty rainfall had led to depletion of ground water sources in the region, which deprived dampeness in the soil.

Besides, deficiency of moisture in the atmosphere also affected the flowers.

''If the moisture is sufficient in the atomosphere, most of the flowers will bear fruits. The insufficient moisture is leading to withering of flowers,'' he explained.

Mr Krishna Murthy said the horticulture department had advised mango farmers to adopt 'mulching' system to prevent evaporation of moisture. Weeds and other materials should be spread around the tree as a protective covering of organic material over the soil to prevent erosion, retain moisture and enrich the soil.

Though sufficient quantity of water was not available in the region, farmers could prevent the fall of flowers to a certain extent by using organic fertilisers like vermi compost and cattle dung, instead of chemical fertilisers which affected the soil, he said.

The department was yet to assess the quantum of loss, but it could be high as the officials did not foresee any favourable change in the atmosphere. Mango was being cultivated in about 6,000 hectares in the district.

The farmers in the region were pinning their hopes on summer showers. ''Usually, the summer showers begin in the last week of April or first week of May. If there are showers, it will save our crop,'' a farmer said.

Cultivation of summer crops, including groundnut and sunflower, have also suffered a setback following depletion of ground water sources. These crops were cultivated in about 5.5 lakh hectares as against the target of 7.10 lakh hectares, agriculture department sources said.

Watershed department sources said the ground water level had fallen in many places in the region, leading to acute drinking water scarcity, beside affecting the crops.

UNI