Effect of pruning and potassium nitrate on flowering in mango cv. Kesar

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of pruning and potassium nitrate on flowering and yield in mango cv. Kesar at Fruit Research Station, Sakkarbaug, College of Horticulture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh during October 2023-May 2024. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design with a Factorial concept, involving seven pruning levels and three potassium nitrate levels, each replicated thrice. The results due to the pruning were significant and the minimum number of days required for the emergence of reproductive shoots (63.89) and days to flowering (84.67) were found in the removal of 25% length of new vegetative shoots (light green stage). Similarly, the highest number of reproductive shoots per pruned shoot (2.96), number of hermaphrodite flowers per inflorescence (128.67) and total number of flowers per inflorescence (730.42) were recorded in the removal of 100% length of new vegetative shoots (light green stage). Regarding the potassium nitrate, the result was also significant and the least number of days required for the emergence of reproductive shoots (68.57), days to flowering (89.14) and number of male flowers per inflorescence (476.11) were registered in KNO3 4%. Likewise, the maximum number of reproductive shoots per pruned shoot (2.74) was observed in KNO3 3%. For the interaction effect, the minimum number of days required for the emergence of reproductive shoots (60.33) and days to flowering (80.33) was noticed in the treatment combination of removal of 25% length of new vegetative shoots (light green stage) with an application of KNO3 4%. However, the interaction effect was found non-significant for the number of reproductive shoots per pruned shoot and the total number of flowers per inflorescence.