Year of start/establishment of the Project: 2000

Mango, banana, litchi, jackfruit and guava are the mandated crops being dealt with this project at Mohanpur Centre, BCKV with the following objectives:

• Collection, evaluation, characterization, documentation and conservation of the genetic resources
• Varietal evaluation of the mandated fruit crops.
• Standardization of root stocks
• Standardization of agro-techniques
• Nutritional and efficient water use management
• Use of bio-regulators
• Canopy Management
• Management of pests, diseases and other disorders.

The experiments are being conducted at (i) Central Research Farm, Gayeshpur, Nadia (mango & litchi) (ii) Horticulture Research Station, Mondouri, Nadia (mango , litchi & guava) and. (iii) Banana Research Station , Mondouri, Nadia (Banana & Jackfruit). The office as well as and laboratory set up is located at Directorate of Research, B.C.K.V., Kalyani, Nadia. The centre has also established net house,poly house, vermi-compost unit etc. Center also acts as banana resource centre.

BANANA:
The centre has been maintaining one hundred twenty four (124) germplasms (elite clones, land races, primitive and reference cultivars) of different genomic groups (AA-3, AB-3, BB-9, AAA-26, AAB-40, ABB-19 (Dessert), ABB-20 (Cooking), AAAA-2, AAAB-1, and AABB-1. Genotypes with large variability have been collected in balbisiana and their hybrids. Observations revealed low variability in Cavendish group in West Bengal.

• Three new superior banana selections for release as BCB 1, BCB 2& BCB 3 :
  These three superior selections were evaluated at BCKV under AICRP on Tropical Fruits and brought under multi-locational trial (MLT) through ICAR-AICRP (TF) network for release as new varieties. BCB 1, a selection from ‘Kanthali’ banana of West Bengal, is a superior dessert type belonging to “Pisang Awak’ sub group of Musa ABB genomic group having crop duration 480-498 days, bunch weight 27-30 kg, yield 54-60 t/ha, TSS 25.40 Brix. BCB 2, a superior selection from popular cooking type banana of West Bengal, is high yielder and belonging to “Monthan’ sub group of Musa ABB genomic group having crop duration 393-397 days, bunch weight 26-30 kg, yield 52-60 t/ha and suitable for staggered harvesting and kitchen garden. BCB 3 is a good quality, high yielding dessert type belonging to “Pisang Awak’ sub group of Musa ABB genomic group having crop duration 505-520 days, bunch weight 25-28 kg, yield 50-56 t/ha, TSS 25.20 Brix.
• FHIA-3 & SABA : New exotic hybrid variety of cooking banana recommended for State release:
  Recommendations of the XVII Group discussion of AICRP on Tropical Fruits held at BCKV, Kalyani during 18th -21st July 2011 it was decided that the Mohanpur centre will submit the release proposal to the respective state release committee. : FHIA-03 and SABA have been constantly giving the better yield as compared to Behula- popular cooking banana in the state of West Bengal. It is becoming important in the state as cooking banana particularly in Gangetic plain. These two cooking banana remain green in the plant for longer period with good cooking quality (softness).FHIA-03 gives 6-8% and SABA 25-30% higher yield as compared to local cooking banana (Behula).The recommended varieties have tolerance to biotic stress comes by common insect pests like scarring beetle and rhizome weevil. Both the variety shows field resistance against panama wilt and tolerance to leaf spot diseases including sigatoka and black leaf streak. The cultivars have already been distributed to farmers in different districts of West Bengal (Nadia, 24 Parganas (North and South), Hooghly and Burdwan). Farmers have already earned a good return and got public acceptance.
• Identified optimum Leaf Area Index (LAI) of banana in West Bengal 
  The identified optimum LAI of ‘Martaman’ banana (Musa AAB) under West Bengal conditions is 6.36 per pit for a corresponding plant population of 5,000/ha with 2 X 3 m spacing and 3 plants/pit.
• Growth stage specific nutrition management in banana worked out
  The nutrition requirement of ‘Martaman’ (AAB) banana at different growth stages (I to IV) with different nutrition levels (100, 80 & 60% of RDF/plant/crop, where RDF is 5 Kg FYM + 200g N + 40g P2O5 + 200g K2O) and time of application was worked out.
• HDP, plant geometry & precise nutrition in banana recommended
  High Density Planting (HDP : 5000 plants/ha) and desirable plant geometry of 3 plants/pit at 2 x 3 m spacing of pits in ‘Martaman’ banana (for optimum LAI of 6.4) are recommended with application of 75% RDF (where, RDF is N, P & K @ 200, 40 & 200 g/plant/crop) that resulted in 25% reduction to fertilizer input cost and upto 90% increase in productivity for an overall additional income of upto Rs. 1.60 lakh/ha/year, as compared with the conventional planting density (2x2 m; 2500 plants/ha) and crop nutrition schedule (100% RDF) for banana in West Bengal. Fruit yield was recorded maximum (56.30 t/ha) due to 3 suckers per hill at 2x3 m spacing (i.e., 5000 plants/ha) with 100% RDF but maximum B:C ratio of 1.82 was realised at for 75 % of RDF with same spacing.
• Bunch feeding technique 
  Bunch feeding with 7.5g each of Urea and Sulphate of Potash (SOP) mixed with 250-300g cow dung slurry showed better finger filling and higher yield in ‘Martaman’ banana.
• Management of Insect pest of banana 
  Three new alternate hosts of banana scarring beetle were recorded namely Colocasia esculenta, Amorphophallus campanulatus and Vitis trilobus. Acephate 0.1125%,both spray and 20ml pour in heart were found effective against banana scarring beetle.
• Management of diseases of banana 
  Sigatoka a leaf spot disease is the most important fungal disease causing economic loss of the crop every year. Clean cultivation, collection and destruction of infected leaves and spraying of fungicides e.g. Propiconazole (0.1%), Tridemorph (0.1%) or Carbendzim (0.1%) during monsoon season are the common practices.
  Panama wilt is also a damaging disease particularly in some susceptible cultivars. Integrated management practices includes: Collection of healthy suckers from uninfected field, sucker treatment with carbendazim, uprooting and destruction of infected plant from the field, avoidance of ratoon cropping and cultivation of Cavendish varieties.
  Bunchy top of banana is really a problem particularly in Cavendish group. Destruction of infected plant and regular spraying of systemic insecticide are found to be highly effective.

JACKFRUIT:
Thirty three (33) genotypes of jackfruit were identified and collected from various localities of West Bengal and bordering areas of Jharkhand and Bihar. During the course of explorations some specified types have been identified by the centre on the basis of bearing pattern, time of maturity, fruit shape and quality like Padmaraj, Narayani, Baramasi, Dofala and Hazari, Seedling as well as clonally propagated plants of identified types have been conserved and maintained in field gene bank of the centre.
Type 16 bears complete red coloured flakes. Type 26 bears more than 1000 fruits/plant each weighing 2-2.5 Kg. Maximum fruit weight more than 30kg was observed in type 29. Type 27 was having fruit weight of more or less one kg with spherical shape and suitable for dessert purpose. Artocarpus lakoocha (Monkey jack), Artocarpus altilis (Breadfruit) and Artocarpus hirsuta (Ainipala) trees is also maintained for use as recommended rootstock for jackfruit.