Mango production in the Mareeba–Dimbulah district generally experienced a higher-yielding season in 2022–2023. This was also the case in the Queensland Department of Agriculture’s long running Mango Planting Systems Trial.

This on-going trial is part of the five-year National Tree Crop Intensification in Horticulture program (AS18000) delivering collaborative research between mango, avocado, macadamia, citrus, and almond projects into improved orchard production efficiency and management systems through intensified, sustainable, and profitable orchard systems of the future.

Since mid-2020, the Mango Planting Systems Trial based on Walkamin Research Facility (Mareeba, Far North Queensland) has recorded and analysed production and fruit quality between the three mango varieties (Calypso, Keitt and Yess! (formally NMBP-1243), planted at 3 different densities – low (208 trees/ha) medium (416 trees/ha) and high (1250 trees/ha); and two different training systems (conventional and single leader) within the high and medium density trees.

Figure 1. High-density planting yields were at least double that of the low-density plantings with Keitt
yielded 80 t/ha and Calypso 60 t/ha without the expected disadvantages of canopy crowding or additional pruning.

Long-term trials like this are a rarity in tree crop research but are invaluable in demonstrating the impact of treatment effects on seasonal production trends. The trial will be 10 years old this December, with the seventh harvest having recently completed.

One of the early concerns raised by growers was the potential impact upon production, when trees within an intensified orchard fill their allocated space more rapidly than conventional orchards and require more pruning to maintain their size. So far, this is not the case.

Figure 2. High-density slim hedge variety ‘Calypso’ growing on the Queensland
Department of Agriculture’s long running Mango Planting Systems Trial. 

This past season, the high-density planting has recorded the highest yields in the trial so far, where Keitt yielded 80 t/ha, Calypso 60 t/ha, and Yess! 38 t/ha. Figure 1. shows that the high-density planting yields were at least double that of the low-density plantings.

Despite some fluctuation in annual yields, when expressed as cumulative yields over seven seasons, the early, high yields in the high planting densities have boosted and maintained higher overall productivity, putting them well ahead of the lower planting densities.

Figure 3. High-density espalier variety ‘Keitt’ growing on the Queensland
Department of Agriculture’s long running Mango Planting Systems Trial. 

DAF’s mango research team believes the fact that we are still seeing high planting densities outperform the lower planting in a 10-year-old orchard, is an indication that the high planting densities are not as susceptible to issues of canopy crowding as originally anticipated.

The AS18000 Program (Mango) research team plan to continue monitoring the trial to further develop industry understanding of mature high-density mango orchard productivity and fruit quality across varying seasonal conditions.

This work is part of the National Tree Crop Intensification in Horticulture Program, funded by the Hort Frontiers Advanced Production Systems Fund, part of the Hort Frontiers strategic partnership initiative developed by Hort Innovation, with co-investment from Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation - The University of Queensland and the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and contributions from the Australian Government.