Paclobutrazol soil drench mango flowering induction, cultar dose timing risk residue Maharashtra aam
Should I use paclobutrazol (cultar) for off-season flowering in mango (aam) and what are the risks?
PPrakash Sawant10mo ago · 342 views
4 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓9mo ago
Paclobutrazol (sold as Cultar and other brands) is a growth retardant used as a soil drench to induce regular and earlier flowering in mango, especially in irregular bearers. It is usually applied to the soil around the canopy drip line a few months before the normal flowering window, with dose linked to canopy diameter, but exact rates and timing differ by variety and region so you must follow the product label and your KVK or horticulture department advice. Overuse or repeated annual application can cause excessive crowding of panicles, smaller fruit, hard residual buildup in soil, and tree stress over years, so many experts advise a gap year and reduced doses. There are also residue concerns, so for export-grade fruit check the importing country's limits before using any PGR. Do not treat young non-bearing trees, and never increase dose hoping for more flowering. Always confirm the current recommended schedule locally before drenching.
PPrakash Sawant9mo ago
In our Konkan Alphonso block we used cultar carefully once every two years and kept records of the drench date. The year we overdid it the fruit came small and the tree looked tired the next season, so go easy.
HHardik Vaghela9mo ago
In our Kesar orchard near Junagadh we measure the canopy spread before drenching and stick to the canopy-linked rate our KVK gave us. One thing many miss is that the soil should be moist when you apply the drench, otherwise uptake is uneven and flowering comes patchy. We also clear weeds in the basin first so the chemical reaches the active roots.
SSandeep Naik9mo ago
A caution from our side near Vengurla: paclobutrazol stays active in the soil for a long time, so if you ever want to inter-plant or shift to a sensitive crop in that basin later it can stunt growth. We treat only mature shy bearers and leave the regular bearers alone. For anything going to export, talk to your exporter early because residue limits keep changing.