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Community & Business

17 June, 2021

Revolutionary step for Mango industry

MAREEBA has recently become ground zero for a new revolutionary mango growing technique potentially tripling mango yields.

By Rhys Thomas

Dr Geoff Dickinson and his team at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries have made massive waves in the mango industry
Dr Geoff Dickinson and his team at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries have made massive waves in the mango industry

MAREEBA has recently become ground zero for a new revolutionary mango growing technique potentially tripling mango yields.

A study took place on the Tablelands spanning over eight years, looking at mango intensification and transforming low yielding, low density orchards into high yielding, high density orchards. 

By making the change and condensing the orchards farmers can see an increase in mango yields from 20 tonnes/ha to 70 tonnes/ha using the same amount of space.

Dr Geoff Dickinson Tropical Fruits Senior Horticulturist at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) said that initially there was a lot of unused space in mango orchards. 

“It’s really reinventing the shape of mango trees,” he said. 

“The whole reason we’re doing this is that mango yields are pretty low in the grand scheme of things. 

“We’re not utilising the land very efficiently so this way we are packing these trees in and giving it what we effectively call ‘walls of fruit’.” 

Trials for the new high-density method of growing have been on going at the Walkamin DAF research station and other areas including local growers who put their hands up to be a part of the trials and trying their hand at producing these new orchards. 

“It’s really exciting times for the mango industry,” Dr Dickinson said. 

“I feel it’s going to make mango growing a much more profitable exercise for growers and it will give them more consistency year to year with their yields.

“Mangoes are a marginal industry at times and a lot of the techniques haven’t really changed that much, but this is a real game changer.” 

Information of this new method is available on the Australian Mangoes website including videos and many other resources for farmers to access.  

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