Smudging and Kno₃ Spraying of Mango: Comparative Effects and Costs

Foliar spray of a technical grade KNO₃ at 12.5 g/liter induced early, uniform, and profused flowering of ‘Carabao’ mango. Reproductive buds appeared within 7 days and fully developed panicles covered whole canopies of sprayed trees. Smudging was less effective producing panicle buds sporadically 14 days after smudging and this continued until the 19th day. Panicles from sprayed trees were longer, attained full extension faster, and had greater growth rate than smudged trees. Fruit retention/panicle was higher in smudged trees but heavier fruiting/tree resulted from KNO₃ application, leading to smaller fruits than smudging. KNO₃ also induced faster fruit maturation and ripening than smudging. Smudging expenses amounted to P 33.70/tree compared with only P 13.90/tree for KNO₃ spraying.