School vocational course  ·  Agriculture

Summer in India means one thing for many families: a basket of ripe mangoes. Few people realise that a good orchard is planned years before the first sweet fruit appears on a branch.

A mango grower plans, plants and cares for mango orchards, from choosing grafted saplings to harvesting fruit at the right maturity. India is one of the world's largest mango producers, with famous regional varieties. Trained growers improve yield and fruit quality through correct pruning, nutrition and pest control, earning better prices in local markets and for processing.

Your learning path

1. Understand mango cultivation and land preparation
2. Learn mango propagation and plantation methods
3. Practice training, pruning, and intercultural operations
4. Manage irrigation, nutrients, pests, and diseases
5. Harvest mangoes and learn basic farm management

Strengths this course develops

Real work, real tasks

Early in the morning, the grower walks between rows of trees, checking new flushes of leaves and looking for hoppers and powdery mildew on flowers. A young plot needs pits dug with an auger and digging spade before grafted plants arrive. Later, the grower loosens soil around trees using a kodali and pronged hoes, then spreads manure in a ring under the canopy. Dead and crossing branches are removed so sunlight can reach inside. If pests are found, a knapsack sprayer is used carefully. In harvest season, fruits are picked with stalks attached, sorted and packed gently in plastic baskets.

Who needs this role

• Mango orchards and family-owned fruit gardens
• Horticulture nurseries producing grafted plants
• Fruit packhouses and pulp processing units
• State horticulture department farms

Lab tools you will use (62)

Auger	Disc Harrow	Digging Spade
Hoe	Knapsack Sprayer	Levellers
Plastics Baskets	Plough	Pump sets
Rigid Tillers	Kodali	Pronged hoes
Spade	Fork	Hoe-cum-rack
Shovel	Garden Rake	Hand Leveller
Crow –Bar	Cultivator	Axe
Budding Knife	Grafting knife	Budding and grafting knife
Pruning knife	Secateur	Pruning Saw
Hedge Shear	Tree Pruner	Lopping Shear
Grass Shear	Khurpi	Weeding Hook
Straight Blade Hand Hoe	Hand Cultivator	Rocker Sprayer
Foot Sprayer	Hand Sprayer	Hand rotary duster
Sickle	Hedge cutter	Hydrometer
Cutting knife	Peeling knife	Coring knife
Can sealer	Can opener	Dehydrator
Crown corking machine	Hand rotary sieve	Forking machine
Hand Refractometer	Screw type juice extractor	A compact spreader
Tractor	Hand tools like; shovels, rakes, scythes, picks	Sorting machines
Soil testing kit	Measuring cylinder	Power tiller
Power sprayer	Weighing machine

Lab investment at a glance

Approximate Indian market rates (Oct 2026, incl. GST) for the curriculum item list. For budget planning only; get final quotes from vendors.

Common questions

Q. Why are grafted plants used instead of growing mangoes from seed?
A tree grown from seed may not give fruit like its parent and can take many years to bear. Grafted plants carry the exact qualities of a chosen variety and start fruiting sooner. Learning grafting also lets growers sell quality saplings from their own nursery.

Q. What can a mango grower do with fruits that are not good enough for sale?
Slightly marked or small mangoes can be turned into pickles, pulp, jam, juice or dried slices. Simple processing adds value and reduces waste. Growers who learn hygienic processing and packaging can sell these products locally or through self-help groups.

Q. Does this course help me become an orchard entrepreneur?
It gives you the basics of planting, care, harvest and simple farm management. With practice on a working orchard and guidance from horticulture officers, you can plan your own plantation, nursery or fruit trading activity. Further study in horticulture can deepen these skills.

A mango tree planted today can give fruit for decades. Learn to care for it patiently, and your orchard can sweeten many summers for your family and community.