Heralds of early spring? Mango flowering observed in Odisha, Telangana a month sooner than usual

Subject: Geography

Context:

Mango flowering has started since the third week of December in Telangana and Odisha, which is at least a month sooner than the normal period of flowering.

Details:

Unseasonal rainfall and a warmer-than-normal winter — both imprints of a changing climate — may be responsible for such anomalous flowering.
This is because flowering requires warmth and humidity, which is readily available in Kerala during this period.
From here the flowering spreads northward, and northwest India witnesses flowering last.
Flowering usually happens after the coldest period of the season is ending, heralding spring.
Under the influence of climate shift, early and delayed flowering is a characteristic feature of mango.

Mango flowering:

Mango flowering is an important physiological event that sets the start of fruit production.
Mango trees flower in response to the age of the last vegetative flush in tropical conditions.
In contrast, cool inductive temperatures induce flowering under subtropical conditions.

Change in phenological pattern:

Two of the most important factors determining the suitability of an area’s climate for mango are air temperature and rainfall.
The sequence of phenological (plant growth) changes is either advanced or retarded with the rise and fall in temperature and the onset of wet and dry seasons.
Climate change is likely to influence phenological patterns and indirectly vegetative and reproductive processes leading to reduced quality and quantity of production.

Mango shower:

Mango showers is a colloquial term to describe the occurrence of pre-monsoon rainfall.
Sometimes, these rains are referred to generically as ‘April rains’ or ‘Summer showers’.
They are notable across much of South and Southeast Asia, including India, and Cambodia.
Significance:
- In southern Asia, these rains greatly influence human activities because of the control the rains have on crops that are culturally significant like mangoes and coffee.
Their intensity can range from light showers to heavy and persistent thunderstorms.
In India, mango showers occur as the result of thunderstorm development over the Bay of Bengal.
They are also known as ‘Kaal Baisakhi’ in Bengal, as Bordoisila in Assam and as Cherry Blossom showers or Coffee Showers in Karnataka.
Towards the close of summer, pre-monsoon showers are common, especially in Kerala, Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu in India.
They help in the early ripening of mangoes and are hence often referred to as “Mango showers.”