Studies on the etiology and control of mango malformation were carried out by conducting experiments with plants in screen-houses as well as in the field. Application of N: P: K:: 9:3:3 did not reduce the incidence of malformation, indicating that the disease is not due to imbalanced nutrition. Inoculations of plants with bud-mite from malformed panicles did not induce malformation and control of the bud-mite through sprays of dicrotophos and phorate on grown-up trees failed to reduce the extent of malformation. These findings suggest that the disease is not due to the toxin of the bud-mite and that the mite did not act as a vector. Grafting coupled with complete eradication of bud-mite by spraying dicrotophos/phorate resulted in malformation in a high percentage of plants indicating that a graft-transmissible pathogen may be involved. Pruning alone and coupled with sprays of an acaricide and a fungicide have shown some promise in reducing the incidence of the disease.
