Start Your Mango Farm II

Pests and Diseases

They include mealy bugs, bugs, fruit flies, mango stone weevil, thrips, mites and paddle-legged bugs.

Control:

By practicing strict farm hygiene. For fruit flies and mealy bugs use bio-agents and/or pheromone traps. Manage mango seed weevil by spraying recommended insecticides when fruit reaches pigeon egg size (10mm). A 2^nd or 3^rd spray at 10-12 days interval may be necessary depending on the level of infestation.

Anthracnose: It attacks leaves, flowers and fruits. Symptoms include spots on leaves, which fall out leaving holes on matured leaves; blighting of inflorescence and tear spots on fruits. Affected ripe fruits develop black spots of varying sizes and rot.

Control with EPA approved copper based fungicides at recommended rates from flower bud formation to fruit development. After harvesting, dip ripe fruits in hot water at 55°C for 5 minutes before packing.

Mango Scab: Caused by the fungus Elsinoe mangiferae. Symptoms include greyish brown spots on the fruit with cracks at center, which become corky. Control as indicated above.

Powdery mildew: Caused by Oidium sp. The infected flower, flower stalk and young fruits become covered with the whitish powdery growth of the fungus. Severe infection may cause leaf distortion and premature leaf drop. Control with EPA approved systemic fungicides from pre-flowering to fruit set when necessary.

Yield: With good management the following yields can be obtained.

Harvesting: Fruits take about 100-110 days to mature. Harvest during the cool hours of the day and turn them down on foam mats or put in water to avoid latex from sticking on the fruit skin. Keep fruits under shade after harvesting.

Operational Budget/Ha GHc (does not include investment costs).

Activity		YEARS
	1	2	3	4
Slashing	100
De-stumping	750
Ploughing (2x)	200
Harrowing	90
Lining &Pegging	90
Holing, manuring and planting	250
Scouting and spraying	50	100	100	100
Pruning	90	120	120	120

 

Weeding	100		100		100	100
Harvesting											40
Fertilizers & Manure		150		150			200			250
Seedling (200/ha)		600
Agrochemicals		50		50			80			100
Total		2520		520			600			710
Yield (kg)										4000
REVENUE
										2,220*
Annual Returns		-2520		-3040			-3640			-2130

 

*20% for export @ GHc 1.20/kg

40% for local market (processing) @ Ghc 0.60/kg

40% for local market (fresh) @ GHc 0.50/kg

 

	5	6	7	8
Scouting & spraying	50	100	100	100
Pruning	90	120	120	120
Weeding	100	100	100	100
Harvesting	40	40	40	40
Fertilizers &Manure	150	150	200	200
Agrochemicals	50	50	80	100
Total	480	560	640	710
Yield (kg)	8000	12000	16000	20000
REVENUE
	4440	8160	10880	13600
Annual Returns	1830	9430	19670	32560

 

 

Source: MOFA