Integrated mango production: objectives and challenges

The concept of integrated fruit production relies on three pillars matching current societal demands: the production of high quality fruit, the reduction of environmental impacts and the farm economic viability. These objectives question different disciplines and are mostly addressed separately. However, research should consider these objectives simultaneously in an interdisciplinary approach because trade-offs exist between them. Canopy management is then a crucial cornerstone of this approach. The better understanding of canopy functioning, in particular the relationships between vegetative and reproductive developments, is necessary to propose and test canopy management techniques meeting the expectations of integrated production. The other cultivation practices such as fertilization and irrigation are also important to consider for their interactions with canopy management. Research on integrated mango production is developed in Réunion Island. We present in this paper the major limitations of mango cultivation, and describe the issues and compromises that should be addressed to reach the objectives of integrated production: higher and more regular yield, better quality fruits, and reduced use of pesticides. The management of vegetative and reproductive phenological asynchronisms is a main issue for achieving these three objectives, and experimental results on this point will be presented. Another key issue is the cultivar. Many cultivar-specific traits should be considered and some of them will be illustrated. Finally, the need for future researches will be discussed, in particular the understanding of subtending processes and the effects of cultivation practices on canopy functioning. (Résumé d'auteur