Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is broadly grown in tropical regions and can also be cultivated in irrigated subtropical semi-arid areas; however, water shortages are a serious problem in the latter region. Among biotic and abiotic factors, water supply is one of the most crucial elements that determine productivity. The allocation of water will be an ever-increasing source of pressure because of vast agricultural demands under changing climatic conditions. Although the mango is considered to be tolerant to drought, water stress during growing cycle can reduce productivity. Here, we review the recent progress in evaluating and augmenting mango water productivity. Developments in physiological and agronomic understanding that have led to a boost in water productivity are presented. In addition, this review deals with deficit irrigation strategies to elucidate the effects on mango yield, water use efficiency, and the response of physiological indicators to water stress. Our main findings were as follows: (1) Under a changing climate, traditional irrigation based on water balance will not be sustainable in the medium/long term; (2) deficit irrigation strategies applied to mango can save irrigation water by up to 40% and improve water use efficiency by up to 30%; and (3) there is valuable potential for further improvement owing to advanced knowledge in terms of the physiological response of mango to water stress, and there are good prospects within the current approaches if they are associated with specific environmental physiology. We concluded that under current medium-/long-term perspectives regarding available water resources, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, there is an urgent demand for adaptive and water-saving strategies. Thus, it will be vital to redesign irrigation schemes in areas where water is scarce to adjust deficit irrigation strategies not only to save water, enhance water use efficiency, and maintain yield, but also to produce fruits with improved quality.

Mango is one of the most cultivated tropical fruits worldwide and one of few drought-tolerant plants. Thus, in this study the effect of a sustained deficit irrigation (SDI) strategy on mango yield and quality was assessed with the aim of reducing irrigation water in mango crop. A randomized block design with four treatments was developed: (i) full irrigation (FI), assuring the crop’s water needs, and three levels of SDI receiving 75%, 50%, and 33% of irrigation water (SDI75, SDI50, and SDI33). Yield, morphology, color, titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), organic acids (OA), sugars, minerals, fiber, antioxidant activity (AA), and total phenolic content (TPC) were analyzed. The yield was reduced in SDI conditions (8%, 11%, and 20% for SDI75, SDI50, and SDI33, respectively), but the irrigation water productivity was higher in all SDI regimes. SDI significantly reduced the mango size, with SDI33 generating the smallest mangoes. Peel color significantly changed after 13 days of ripening, with SDI75 being the least ripe. The TA, AA, and citric acid were higher in SDI75, while the TPC and fiber increased in all SDI levels. Consequently, SDI reduced the mango size but increased the functionality of samples, without a severe detrimental effect on the yield.

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Impact of sustained-deficit irrigation on tree growth, mineral nutrition, fruit yield and quality of mango in Spain.Abstract --Introduction. Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a crop of major economic importance in the provinces of Malaga and Granada (SE Spain). A field experiment on mango trees was designed to determine the optimum irrigation scheduling over three seasons. The aim was to evaluate the impact of sustained-deficit irrigation (SDI) strategies on fruit yield and quality, tree growth, and mineral status under a Mediterranean subtropical climate. Materials and methods. Three sustained-deficit irrigation treatments were applied to mango trees: SDI-1 (33% ETc), SDI-2 (50% ETc) and SDI-3 (75% ETc). The stress treatments were compared with a control (C-100) irrigated at 100% ET C . The response of fruit yield, number of fruits, fruit size and quality, and macro-and micronutrients in leaves was determined. Results. The SDI-2 treatment proved to be the most appropriate SDI treatment, since it allowed the trees to reach the highest yield (18.4 t·ha -1 ) and the best water-use efficiency (7.14 kg·m -3). However, fruit size was higher for trees of the SDI-3 and C-100 treatments, since they reached significantly higher length and width. The total soluble solids were affected by the SDI treatments only for one year, being highest in fruits from trees of the SDI-1 and SDI-2 treatments. Macro-and micronutrients in the leaves were affected by the SDI treatment only for the P, Mg and Mn contents. Conclusion. The SDI treatment providing 50% of ET C is recommended for mango orchards in order to attain the highest yields and the best water-use efficiency under a Mediterranean subtropical climate.Spain / Mangifera indica / irrigation / water use / soil water deficit / irrigation rates / fruits / growth / plant nutrition / yields / quality Impact de l'irrigation à déficit soutenu sur la croissance des arbres, la nutrition minérale, le rendement en fruits, et la qualité de la mangue en Espagne.Résumé --Introduction. Le manguier (Mangifera indica L.) est une plante de grande importance économique dans les provinces de Malaga et Grenade (sud-est de l'Espagne). Une expé-rimentation en vergers de manguiers a été conçue pour établir un calendrier d'irrigation optimale programmé sur trois campagnes. L'objectif a été d'évaluer l'impact de stratégies d'irrigation à défi-cit soutenu (IDS) sur le rendement et la qualité des fruits, la croissance des arbres et le statut minéral des manguiers sous un climat méditerranéen subtropical. Matériel et méthodes. Trois traitements d'irrigation à déficit soutenu ont été appliqués à des manguiers: IDS-1 (33 % de l'ET C ), IDS-2 (50 % de l'ET C ), et IDS-3 (75 % de l'ET C ). Les traitements de stress ont été comparés à un traitement témoin (C-100) recevant une irrigation correspondant à 100 % de ET C . La réponse a été déterminée à partir du rendement et du nombre de fruits, des taille et qualité des fruits, et des macro et micronutriments dans les feuilles. Résultats. Le traitement IDS-2 s'est rév...

Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is a subtropical tree, particularly sensitive to either an excess or a lack of water. Understanding this balance is crucial to determine the optimum water supply and enhance crop productivity. The rising shortage of water resources in semiarid producing regions and the need for irrigation optimization call for sustainable water savings. A 3-year monitoring study with avocado cv. "Hass" tested sustained-deficit irrigation strategies supplying 33, 50 or 75% of the estimated crop water demand. They were compared with a control strategy supplying 100% of the estimated crop water demand. The leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, tree growth, yield and several fruit quality parameters were evaluated. The yield, tree growth and fruit size were significantly and proportionally lessened by deficit irrigation treatments. Over the study, the average yields amounted to 31.6, 38.3 and 43.8 kg tree −1 in the 33, 50 and 75% treatments respectively, which were significantly less than the yield of 47.5 kg tree −1 measured in the control. The 33% and 75% sustained-deficit irrigation treatments increased the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids as well as the unsaturated fatty acids (oleic); however, the 33% deficit irrigation treatment significantly reduced the yield, size and fruit weight. We consider, therefore, that approximately 25% of the irrigation water can be saved without adversely affecting the avocado tree performance in short and medium terms and we recommend implementing the 75% sustained-deficit irrigation strategy. Here we show for the first time the key role of redesigning irrigation strategies in Mediterranean areas, focusing on the benefits of sustained-deficit irrigation, which can save water, encourage water use efficiency and enhance fruit quality. In order to save water, it is critical and necessary to implement such novel water shortage strategies, at the affordable cost of reducing fruit yield while enhancing its quality.