Author: Irungu J

A mango orchard can start with healthy trees and still become difficult to manage if the trees are planted too closely or allowed to develop into oversized, overcrowded canopies. As the trees mature, branches compete for light, spraying becomes more difficult, harvesting costs rise and parts of the canopy may become excessively shaded. Spacing and …

Mango Orchard Spacing and Canopy Management: How to Build a Productive, Manageable OrchardRead More

Mango fruit fly is one of the pests that can turn a promising mango crop into a major source of losses. A farmer may have healthy trees, good flowering and plenty of developing fruit, only to find that mangoes begin dropping prematurely or show internal damage when cut open. The difficulty is that much of …

Mango Fruit Fly Management in Kenya: An Integrated Approach to Protecting Fruit Quality and YieldRead More

A mango tree can produce an impressive flush of flowers and still leave a farmer with very few fruits at harvest. The reason is that flowering is only the beginning of the yield formation process. Between flower emergence and a marketable mango lies a chain of events involving pollination, fertilization, fruit set, water availability, nutrition, …

Mango Flowering and Fruit Set: Why a Heavy Bloom Does Not Always Mean a Heavy HarvestRead More

Passion fruit can produce vigorous vines covered with flowers and still give a disappointing harvest. A farmer may see plenty of flowers but very few fruits, young fruits that drop soon after setting, small or hollow fruits, or fruits that develop an unusual shape. These problems do not always have the same cause. Poor pollination, …

Passion Fruit Flowering and Fruiting ProblemsRead More