In the case of a frost, the agriculture department recommended farmers to irrigate their mango orchards lightly at night to protect the plants from harm.
According to Assistant Director Abdus Samad, over 87 percent of mangoes are produced in 18 nations, including Pakistan.
Pakistan is the 6th largest mango producer in the world, with the fruit being grown over 170,000 hectares across the country.
Mango production in Pakistan totals 1,784,000 tonnes.
Frost, according to Abdus Samad, could cause further damage to the plants. Farmers should avoid irrigation if their plants did not bear fruit the previous year and had an excess of carbs, according to him.
According to the AD, when plants reach flowering stage prematurely and early due to greater temperatures during the day, they reverted to water application, which aided rather than hindered the flowering stage. He went on to say that such plants and orchards should not be given any water. On frosty nights, though, modest irrigation can be done to protect plants from frost, he noted.
“Mango mealybug should also be avoided by farmers.” He went on to say that female mealybugs lay eggs in the earth and that their population begins in December each year, and that they crawl up trees to drink the juice.”
He told farmers to put some safety barriers on the trunks of mango trees to keep the pests from crawling up to the tops of the trees.
Tree branches that touch or approach the ground should also be pruned to restrict mealy bug access, according to Samad.
Farmers should also prepare animal waste fertilisers for need-based application in mango plantations, he added.
