Vol. 9, Special Issue 12, Part P (2025)

Low productivity and severe fruit drop are major constraints in Alphonso mango cultivation in the Konkan region, primarily due to improper nutrient and water management. A field experiment was conducted during 2023-24 and 2024-25 at the Centre of Excellence for Mango, College of Horticulture, Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, to study the combined effect of nutrient application and irrigation on fruit retention, yield and quality of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Alphonso. The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with twelve treatment combinations comprising four nutrient management practices (F₁-F₄) and three irrigation-mulching regimes (I₁-I₃) replicated thrice. Results revealed that the combined application of RDF in split (N-30% P-40% K-20% after harvest, N-30% P-40% K 20% during fruit set, N-20% K-30% at marble stage, N-20% P-20% K-30% egg stage) + irrigation and mulching (F₂I₃) recorded significantly higher fruit retention (7.28%), number of fruits per tree (145.50) and fruit yield (38.23 kg/tree) compared to other treatments. Improved fruit quality parameters such as fruit weight (263.93 g), fruit length (10.06 cm), fruit width (8.56 cm) pulp: stone ratio (5.54), total soluble solids (18.73 ⁰Brix), titratable acidity (%) and minimum days from flowering to harvest (115.77 days) and spongy tissue incidence (2.33%) were also observed under the same treatment. The enhanced performance may be attributed to improved nutrient availability, better soil moisture status and reduced physiological stress during critical stages of fruit development. The study concluded that integrated nutrient management combined with irrigation and mulching is essential for improving productivity and fruit quality of Alphonso mango under Konkan agro-climatic conditions.