FLUSHING PATTERN OF MANGO (Mangifera indica L.) CULTIVARS IN RESPONSE TO PRUNING OF PANICLES AND ITS EFFECT ON CARRY OVER EFFECT OF FLORAL MALFORMATION

The present study was conducted at Experimental Fruit Orchard (Square 9), Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan. Cultivars selected for experiment were 15 years old trees of Anwar Ratool, Samar Bahisht (S.B) Chaunsa and Alphanso. All experimental trees received similar cultural practices for fertilizers, irrigation and plant protection during the investigation period. Malformed and fruit carrying panicles (healthy panicles) and barren panicles (whose fruit dropped after betting with a pencil) were pruned on April 01, 15 and May 01, 2002. Panicles pruned in these dates were tagged and allowed to stay intact to study their vegetative and reproductive growth behavior. Significant results were recorded regarding month wise emergence of flushes, flush size and number of leaves per flush in these varieties. Emergence of cease flushes, double and triple flushes on terminals of selected varieties was significantly different and the emergence of malformed panicles on these flushes was also significantly different in selected varieties. Emergence of ceased flushes was significantly higher in cultivar Anwar Ratool, followed by Chaunsa and Alphanso respectively. Number of double flushes was higher on Chaunsa followed by Alphanso and Anwar Ratool respectively. Alphanso produced highest number of triple flushes followed by Chaunsa and Anwar Ratool respectively. More number of malformed panicles emerged on triple flush shoots than on double and ceased flush shoots respectively. Malformed panicles were highest on triple followed by double and cease flush (respectively) in Chaunsa followed by Alphanso and Anwar Ratool respectively.