CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The name mango comes from the Tamil word man-Kay, a member of the

Anacardiaceae family , is an erect ,broad specimen can reach 100 feet

high and 125 feet wide. This tree having leaves evergreen and flowers

borne in clusters on erect, pyramidal branches requires a frost-free climate

in well-drained soil with pH between 5.5 and 7.5.There are over 1000

known varieties of mango and it is one of the first fruit to be cultivated by

man.

The mangoes are native to southern Asia especially Burma and Eastern

India, where they have been grown for more than 4000 years. According

to Indian folklore, Buddha was given a mango orchard by a faithful

follower so that he could rest in its cool shade. It is generally agreed that

the natural origin of the mango in India is the north-eastern region on the

foot hills of the Himalayan mountain in the vicinity of India’s boundary with

Bangladesh. The great Mughal Emperor Akbar, who ruled at Delhi from

1556 to 1605, had an orchard of 100000 mango hectares. Mangoes are

mentioned in early Arialkrit literature and Alexander the great spotted his

first mango in 320 BC while traveling with army in sub-continent. Buddhist

monks took mangoes from India to Malaya and eastern Asia in the 5 th

century BC. From Africa, Brazil, West Indies, Barbados, Jamaica; mango

was introduced in to Florida in 1833 by Dr. Henry Perine.(Got rum

magazine, e-mail:info@rumshop.net)

1
 The mango exists in two races, one from India and the other from the

Philippines and Southeast Asia. The Indian race is intolerant of humidity

with flushes of bright red new growth bearing monoembryonic fruit and the

Philippine race tolerates excess moisture with pale green growth bearing

polyembryonic fruit. As there are over 1000 known varieties of mango.

Two of the smallest and largest varieties Motidana (weighing two grams)

Jam-e-jam (four kilos) have been grown near Delhi in India. Mango is an

excellent source of vitamin A, B, C and contains water, protein, sugar,

fats, iron, fibers etc. Deliciously rich in anti-oxidants, potassium and fibers.

The nutritive value of mango and some other fruit is shown is Table 1.

Table 1. Nutritive value of mango and some other fruits

Fruit Calories Moisture Protein Fats Carboh Salts Vita. Vit.C Fe P Ca

(k.cal) (%) (%) (%) ydrates (%) A (IU) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg)
(%)
Mango 66 81.7 0.7 0.4 16.8 0.4 4800 35.0 0.4 13.0 10.0
Grapes 69 81.6 1.3 1.0 15.7 0.4 100 4.0 0.4 12.0 10.0
Pome- 63 82.3 0.5 0.3 16.4 0.5 - 242.0 0.9 42.0 23.0

granate
Guava 62 83.0 0.8 0.6 15.0 0.6 200 242.0 0.9 42.2 23.0
Apple 58 84.4 0.2 0.2 14.5 0.3 90 4.0 0.13 10.0 7.00
Date 274 22.5 2.2 0.5 72.9 1.9 50 - 3.0 63.0 59.0
Source: Hussain et al.,Zaraii Digest .Vol.24,No.1,June 1990.

The Mango is used as food in all stages of its development. Green or

unripe mango contains a large portion of starch which gradually changes in to

glucose, sucrose and maltose as the fruit begins to ripe. The ripe fruit is very

wholesome and nourishing. The chief food ingredient is sugar. The acids

contained in the fruit are tartaric acid and malic acid, beside a trace of citric

2
acid. Mango pickles, if extremely sour, spicy and oily, are not good for health

and should be specially avoided by those suffering from arthritis, rheumatism,

sinusitis, sore throat and hyperacidity. The ripe mango is antiscobutic, diuretic,

laxative, invigorating, fattening and astringent. It tones up the heart muscle,

improves complexion and stimulates appetite. The fruit is beneficial in liver

disorders, loss of weight and other physical disturbances.

The unripe mango protects men from the adverse effects of hot,

scorching winds. Unripe green mangoes are beneficial in the treatment of

gastrointestinal disorders, bilious disorders, blood disorders, night blindness

and scurvy. The tender leaves of the mango tree are considered useful in

diabetes. The mango seeds are useful in diarrhea. The mango bark is very

useful in the treatment of diphtheria and other throat diseases. The juice,

which oozes out at the time of plucking the fruit from the tree gives immediate

relief to pain when applied to a scorpion bite or the sting of a bee. Unripe

mangoes should not be eaten in excess because they may cause throat

irritation, indigestion, dysentery and abdominal colic (medicinal use of

mango.htm).

It is deeply embedded in Indo-Pak mythology and features in songs,

poems and in sculptures, paintings and textile. Mango is very versatile with its

fruit eaten as fresh or processed .It is also a superb ingredient for ice cream,

sherbet, milkshake, yogurt and baby food and can also be enjoyed as candy,

jam, jelly, chutney and frozen delight. Dried mango is a popular snack as well.

World wide production is heavily concentrated in Asia, accounting for 77%

3
followed by South and Northern America with 13 %share, Africa with 9 %share

and Oceana at 1%share. Over half of the world mango production is produced

by India. The other major mango producers included China, Mexico, Thailand,

Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil and Philippines (DA-AMAS Agribusiness

and Marketing Assistance Report, 2003).

The total area regarding cultivation of mango in the world in 2005 was

3870070 hectares with total production 27965173 tonnes having 9.72

tonnes /hectare. In Pakistan, the area under cultivation of mango in 2005 was

151500 hectares with an annual production of 1034581 tonnes. Mango is very

famous due to its endearing varieties like Chounsa as it is grown over 40 % of

the total mango orchards, followed by Dusehri 21%, Langra over 11%, Anwar

Ratol over 8%, Malda over 5%, Fajri over 5 %, Sindhri over 4 %, Sensation

over 1 % and others over 14 %. Mango is grown in Sindh and Southern

Punjab. Mango production in District Khanewal is substantial, comprising of

31141 acres of land. Mianchannu Tehsil is important for cotton, wheat

production and mango is getting popularity as it is grown on 2566 acres.

Government of Punjab (Deptt. of Agric.).

The production of Mangoes and Citrus in prominent fruit producing

countries during 2005 is shown in table 2(a).

4
Table 2 (a) The production of Mangoes and citrus in various countries
during 2005

S.No. Country Mango Oranges

production Production
MT MT
1 Brazil 845000 18262632
2 India 10800000 3070000
3 Egypt 327000 1750000
4 China 3400000 1750000
5 Indonesia 800000 1600000
6 Pakistan 1072000 1020000

Source: FAO, Economic and Social Department , The Statistics Division, 2006

In table 2(b) the detail of Pakistan main mango market is shown along

with export of mango.

Table 2(b) Pakistan main mango market during 2005

S.No Country Mango export (MT)

1 U.A.E 33604

2 Saudi Arabia 13224

3 Oman 9245

4 U.K 8052

5 Kuwait 2568

Source: The Nation, The Nation .htm,2005

5
Pakistan covers an area of 796,095 Sq.Km out of which 468,000 Sq.Km is

in the north & west form mountainous land and plateau. The remaining

3,28,000 Sq.Km comprises a level plain. Two distinct physiographic

provinces, The Northern and western highlands and the Indus plains built

its physical frame. Agriculture occupies an eminent place in entire

economic structure of Pakistan and it has direct effect on the livelihood of

the people.

Agricultural sector shares one fourth of GDP, two third of exports and

nearly half of employment in Pakistan. It provides raw materials to agro-

based industries as well as market for industrial products besides being a

source of livelihood of 65.6% of country’s population living in rural areas

(Govt. of Pak, 2004-05). The irrigated land (80 % of the total cultivated

area) contributes nearly 90% of the agricultural production by consuming

93% of irrigation water. Rainfed area, which is only 20% of the cultivated

areas, contributes only 10% towards agricultural output. There are 1.5

million hectares of pothowar plateau,4.91 million hectares of desert area

(Thal and Cholistan), 5.91 million hectares of hilly area (Murree, Salt

range, Siwalik range, D.G.Khan) and 0.48 million hectares of riverine area,

which are classified as marginal areas in Punjab (The Nation on web.

Monday, December 6, 2004).

6
 Punjab is recognized as the most important province regarding agricultural

production in Pakistan. Here 81% of the total production of wheat, 80% of

cotton, 94% of rice, 70% of sugarcane, 84% of gram, 64% of mangoes,

94% of citrus fruit, 85% of guava and 77% of pulses is produced (Zarat

nama. March 15,2005).

Fruits are valued as protective food as being a tropical fruit, they are

available during the hot season. Raw mango is widely used for preparing

pickles and in cooking. These are rich in minerals, vitamin A, B and C, and

provide more energy per unit weight than the cereals. Pakistan’s wide

range of agro-climatic conditions allow production of a variety of tropical

and sub-tropical fruits. The number of people determines the total need of

fruits whereas incomes determine their ability to pay for different varieties.

The cultivated area ,production and average yield in Pakistan from 2000 to

2005 is shown in table 3.

Table 3. Mango cultivated area ,production and average yield/hectare in

Pakistan(2000-2005)
Year Area Production Average yield
(000 hectare) (MT) (000
tons/hectare)
2000 91.55 913.87 9.98

2001 96.99 989.79 10.2

2002 98.97 1037.14 10.47

2003 102.79 1034.58 10.64

2004 103.11 1055.98 10.41

2005 151.5 1673.9 11.48

7
Source:FAO ,Year Book,2006.

Department of Agricultural Extension is running a project named

Rejuvenation of mango gardens for the last many years in the mango growing

areas to train the mango growers about recommended horticultural practices.

Since mango can fetch good price, both at home and abroad, its

extensive cultivation has been very much encouraged. But efforts made in this

regard failed because of no. of impediments. The lack of knowledge about

recommended horticultural practices with particular reference to those of its

propagation; is the most important impediment .The studies conducted on the

said subject have been quite nominal and thus the factors binding the mango

growers to adopt the recommended horticultural practices have not been

identified satisfactorily. This situation calls for a thorough probe in to the extent

of adoption of improved mango production technology, the causes of non-

adoption and finding out means to overcome these causes and to meet the

challenges of WTO.

The study was undertaken to determine the change, if any, in the

adoption of recommended horticultural practices by the mango growers on

one hand and to explore the non-adoption constraints on the other .It was

expected that the study would be helpful for the extension workers for their

course of action to enhance adoption of the latest techniques by the mango

growers.

Objectives of the study

a) General objective

8
 The general objective of study was to investigate the adoption of

recommended horticultural practices by the mango growers of Tehsil

Mianchannu.

(b) Specific objectives

In order to achieve the general objectives, the following specific

objectives were formulated.

• To determine the awareness of various recommended horticultural

practices among the mango growers.

• To explore the attitude of mango growers towards the adoption of

recommended practices.

• To identify the specific practices adopted by the mango growers.

• To identify the problems faced by the mango growers in the adoption of

improved practices.

• To find out the impact of education and size of gardens on the adoption

behavior of the mango growers

Assumptions:

1. It was assumed that the recommendations about mango growing were

not communicated effectively and satisfactorily to the growers by the

extension field staff.

2. The respondents would provide correct information as far as they

could.

3. The data collected would be helpful for providing necessary guidance

and insight to the growers for successful mango growing.

9
 Limitations:
The following were the limitations of the study:

1. The study was limited to Tehsil Mianchannu.

2. The study was limited to mango fruit crop.

3. The farmers had no records about their farming business. Therefore,

the reliability and validity of the results of the study was limited to the extent to

which the respondents were able to provide correct information on the base of

their memory.

10