Motivation to Change
- Die back in mangoes
- Reducing yields and tree vigour
- Soil & plant fungal infections
- To increase the soil fungal microbial biomass
- Improve water retention during below average successive wet seasons.
Products used
- Geo Leak Solutions RC3 mixed with Humic Solutions Humates as a foliar spray
- Humic Solutions Humates, Olssons’s Sea Minerals & Geo Leak Solutions EWS 30SH for soil conditioning and water retention
- Other NPK inputs in conjunction with Humic Solutions Humates
Innovation
- Treatment started with humate and sea minerals for soil conditioning and then a RC3 and Humates foliar treatment to pick up the plant health and eradicate the tree fungal infections
- Two foliar applications of RC3 one month apart
- Humates, sea minerals EWS 30SH were soil applied to condition the soil during the wet season
- RC3 foliar appliction at the bud swelling stage prior to flowering
- RC3 foliar application after fruit set for fruit retention
- Two RC3 foliar applications applied during the fruit-fill stage for crop sizing
- Humates, sea minerals and EWS 30SH fertigated during the crop fill stage which also acted as a chelation agent for the soluble NPK fertilisers applied
Innovation commenced February 2020
Key results
Trees with mild die back responded quickly with the first two RC3/Humate/Sea Minerals/EWS 30SH applications. Two new flushes on the trees with the majority of trees growing a new canopy of the whole tree. Leaf size changes measured with the new flush to have 150% increase in the surface area of the new flush with the same number of leaves/flushes @12-15 leaves, compared with previous flushes prior to the treatment program.
Trees with severe dieback infestations took up to six months to grow new leaves, which was during the flowering/fruit fill crop stage. The trees grew 2-3 flushes during that time, with the same increases in leaf size and a new canopy 50-80% of the tree volume over two months.
Improvement in fruit retention with a reported increase in fruit size packed at harvest. The fruit density also increased, as the fruit size packed out needed computer program changes which had been set for smaller fruit to a heavier weight.
Soil has better nutrient holding capacity due to the chelation ability of the humates
Good plant and flower health with fruit quality improving substantially on the previous year
The total Calypso mango crop was down by 15% in 2020 compared with the 2019 mango harvest. The NT industry average decrease in mango harvest in 2020 compared with 2019 was between 50-65%, which was considered and “off year”. An exceptional result with the RC3,Humates,Sea Minerals and EWS 30SH program.
Average rainfall 950mm and irrigation to whole property.
Ian – Katherine Northern Territory
Mangoes pre-treatment – mild dieback infestation. 
Re-growth after 2 treatments severe dieback – March 2020 Mango re-growth – 3 applications new canopy Sept 2020 Flowering after treatment program severe dieback infestation Mango flowering – trees with mild dieback infestation New canopy after treatment with flowering Fruit on trees with severe die back infestation. Minimal fruit on these trees in 2019 Increased fruit retention with treatment program July 2020 Fruit pollination and retention – August 2020 Good fruit size & retention 6 months after first treatment severe dieback Sep 2020 Pre harvest fruit fully mature with treatment program minor dieback – Oct 2020
