Amrapali
An IARI dwarf hybrid of Dashehari and Neelum, grafted, not from seed, bred for high-density orchards and a steadier yield — Dashehari's worst habit fixed.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Mango
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Bearing from year 3–4 (grafted plant, dwarf habit)
- Expected yield
- 60–80 kg/tree at full bearing — more trees fit per acre than Dashehari
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- More regular annual bearing than most north Indian varieties
- Release
- Bred by Dr. Pijush Kanti Majumdar at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, from a Dashehari × Neelum cross; introduced in 1971.
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Amrapali is a hybrid mango bred by Dr. Pijush Kanti Majumdar at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, from a cross of Dashehari and Neelum, and introduced in 1971. The tree is dwarf and a regular annual bearer, carrying clusters of small-sized fruit rather than Dashehari's larger, more scattered crop, which gives it more regular annual bearing than most north Indian varieties. Its pulp is deep orange-red and reported to carry 2.5–3.0 times more beta-carotene than other commercial mango varieties, alongside a shorter shelf life than longer-established cultivars. Average research-station yield is cited around 16 tonnes per hectare. The dwarf habit combined with regular bearing makes Amrapali well suited to high-density orchard planting, fitting more trees into the same area than a Dashehari orchard would. It was first planted commercially in West Bengal, at Chakdaha in Nadia district, using seed material supplied directly by Dr. Majumdar, before spreading to farms and orchards across India.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Amrapali if you want a dwarf mango for a high-density orchard that fruits every year instead of every other year. It is a Dashehari × Neelum hybrid from ICAR-IARI, bears from year 3–4, and gives 60–80 kg per tree, with more trees per acre than Dashehari. Its deep orange-red pulp has 2.5–3.0 times more beta-carotene than other commercial mangoes. The trade-off is a shorter shelf life and smaller fruit in clusters, so it suits volume sale, not a large-fruit premium. Choose Dashehari if aroma and keeping quality matter more.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timePlant grafts between July and December (TNAU)
- SpacingThis is the one Indian mango bred for crowding. Conventional orchards are planted 7–10 m either way and high density at 5 x 5 m, but an ICAR trial on Amrapali at Kolasib found 2.5 x 2.5 m — 1,600 trees per hectare — gave better growth, yield and fruit quality per unit area than 3 x 2.5 m or 2.5 x 1.5 m
- Sowing methodDig pits 1 m x 1 m x 1 m and fill them with topsoil mixed with 10 kg of farmyard manure. Plant the graft in the centre with its ball of earth intact, keep the graft union 15 cm above ground, then water and stake it
- IrrigationWater regularly until the graft establishes, then weekly under flood irrigation. Micro-irrigation does the same job on about a third of the water — worth more here than in a wide-spaced orchard, because a dense planting has far more trees to carry
- FertilizerPer tree: 10 kg farmyard manure with 0.2 kg each of N, P and K in the first year, raised by the same amount every year, reaching 50 kg manure with 1.0 kg N, 1.0 kg P and 1.5 kg K from the sixth year. Apply in September–October, 45 to 90 cm away from the trunk out to the leaf drip line. Under high density with fertigation, 1.0:0.5:1.0 kg NPK per bearing tree a year (TNAU)
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Red loamy soil with good drainage
- pH
- 6.5–8.0
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Regular, more predictable annual bearing than most north Indian mango varieties
- Dwarf habit allows a higher planting density than Dashehari, fitting more trees and more overall fruit into the same orchard area
- Deep orange-red pulp reported to carry 2.5–3.0 times more beta-carotene than other commercial mango varieties — a nutrition and marketing edge
Things to consider
- Shorter shelf life than Dashehari, per the sourced description — a real trade-off against its steadier bearing and higher planting density
- Fruit comes in clusters of small-sized mangoes rather than Dashehari's larger individual fruit — worth knowing for farmers targeting a premium large-fruit retail market rather than volume
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- West Bengal
- Delhi
Planting a high-density orchard on a dwarf tree
Amrapali is an IARI dwarf hybrid of Dashehari and Neelum, and the dwarf habit is the reason to choose it: more trees fit in the same acre, bearing starts in year 3–4, and it fruits more regularly year to year than most north Indian varieties. Per tree it gives 60–80 kg at full bearing, but the figure that matters to you is yield per acre, not per tree.
A close planting has to be managed as a close planting. Mark the spacing your state horticulture office advises for high-density mango rather than copying a traditional wide layout, keep the canopy open with annual pruning so light reaches the inside branches, and plan irrigation and nutrition for the higher number of trees. Do not let the trees close into one another: once a dense orchard goes dark inside, fruiting moves to the top and outside only, and the whole advantage is gone.
Where the planting material comes from
This variety is a grafted plant: the variety on top, joined onto a rootstock below. Seed out of its fruit will not come up as this variety, so it cannot be kept as seed. Buy grafted plants from a registered nursery or a government farm, so the plant is true to the variety and free of disease.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Mango variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alphonso (Hapus) | Premium price on the Konkan coast, not volume | Bearing from year 4–5 (grafted plant) | 40–60 kg/tree at full bearing — lower than Dashehari, priced well above it | Maharashtra, Gujarat |
| Amrapalithis page | High-density orchards and steady yearly fruiting | Bearing from year 3–4 (grafted plant, dwarf habit) | 60–80 kg/tree at full bearing — more trees fit per acre than Dashehari | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi |
| Banganapalli | Large, fibreless table mango that stores well | Mid-season | Very high | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu |
| Dashehari | Aromatic North Indian table mango with good keeping quality | Bearing from year 4–5 (grafted plant); 60–90 days fruit maturation after flowering | 80–100 kg/tree at full bearing (year 10+) | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar |
| Kesar | Very sweet saffron-pulp mango for export and pulp | Mid-season | High | Gujarat |
| Langra | Mid-season green-skinned mango with rich aroma | Mid-season | High | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana, Punjab |
| Totapuri | Pulp and juice processing, not fresh eating | Mid-season | Very high | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Mango is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Mango plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Mango variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Mango into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Mango rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Mango seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Who bred Amrapali and why?
Dr. Pijush Kanti Majumdar at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, crossed Dashehari with Neelum and introduced the result in 1971 — a dwarf, regular-bearing mango meant to fix Dashehari’s biggest weakness, alternate bearing, while also allowing more trees per acre.
How is Amrapali different from Dashehari day to day?
It bears fruit far more reliably every year instead of every other year, fits more trees into the same orchard area because of its dwarf habit, and its deep orange flesh carries notably higher beta-carotene — but the fruit doesn't keep as long after harvest as Dashehari's does.
Amrapali or Dashehari: which should I plant?
Amrapali is dwarf, bears from year 3–4, fruits every year and fits more trees per acre. Dashehari bears from year 4–5, has larger fruit, richer aroma and better shelf life, but it tends to bear in alternate years. Pick Amrapali for a steady, dense orchard. Pick Dashehari for aroma and storage.
How soon does Amrapali bear fruit?
A grafted Amrapali plant bears from year 3–4, a year earlier than Dashehari. At full bearing it gives about 60–80 kg per tree.
Can I send Amrapali fruit to a far market?
Be careful. Amrapali has a shorter shelf life than older mango varieties, so it is safer to sell it soon after harvest in nearby markets. Plan the buyer before the fruit ripens.
When should I plant Amrapali grafts?
Between July and December (TNAU). Because Amrapali is dwarf and planted at high density, mark out the whole layout before the first pit is dug. Crowding is much harder to fix once trees are three years old.
Does Amrapali actually give more fruit per acre than Dashehari?
Per tree, no: 60–80 kg against Dashehari's 80–100 kg at full bearing. Per acre it can, because the dwarf habit lets you fit many more trees, and it bears more regularly year to year. The catch is that a dense orchard needs more careful pruning and spraying.
Sourced from: Amrapali (mango) — Wikipedia, Mango production guide, TNAU Agritech Portal: planting season, pit size, spacing systems, irrigation and age-wise manure and fertiliser schedule, High density planting system in 'Amrapali' mango — Indian Journal of Horticulture (ICAR): spacing trial at 2.5 x 2.5 m against wider and closer layouts. editorial policy.