Context: Despite rising temperatures and erratic weather affecting mango quality and flowering, India’s mango productivity has grown largely due to the fruit’s genetic diversity, which enhances its resilience to climate change.
Relevance of the Topic: Mains: Impact of rising temperatures on production of crops.
Rising Temperatures:
- According to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Annual Climate Survey of 2024, the year 2024 was the warmest year on record since 1901.
- The country’s annual mean land surface air temperature during the year 2024 was +0.65°C above the 1991-2020 average. IMD data also shows that the last 12 years have been warmer than earlier years.
Impacts of rising temperatures on Mango Production
1. Anticipated Impact:
- Higher temperatures lead to early maturity, fruit drop, and disorders such as spongy tissue in varieties like Alphonso.
- Anecdotal information suggests that mango productivity has been affected due to rising temperatures.
2. Observed Impact:
- Empirical evidence and statistical data of the Horticulture Department in India suggest otherwise contradicting the perception of decline.
- Data from the Horticulture Department and Agricultural Market Intelligence Centre show that mango productivity and cultivated area in India have both increased.
- Mango productivity in India has increased from 5.5 metric tonnes per hectare (MT/Ha) in FY2009 to 9.7 MT/Ha in FY2018.
- India’s productivity in 2024–25 is expected to surpass that of major producers like China and Thailand.
Reasons behind increased production despite rising temperatures:
- Experts explain this resilience is due to the genetic diversity of mangoes. Genetic diversity allows the fruit to adapt to changing conditions, such as high temperatures and irregular rainfall.
- Indian researchers and horticulture experts suggest that while extreme weather can disrupt flowering and fruiting stages, the physiological mechanisms and genetic variation in mango species help them withstand environmental stress.
Despite climatic stressors like heat waves and erratic rainfall, India’s mango production remains robust, largely due to genetic adaptability. This offers hope for future agricultural resilience in the face of climate change.