Optimizing irrigation and fertilization at various growth stages to improve mango yield, fruit quality and water-fertilizer use efficiency in xerothermic regions

Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the widely grown fruit crops and brings remarkable economic benefit in the xerothermic regions of southwest China. However, mango yield and quality can not be guaranteed due to the severe seasonal drought, low precipitation and extensive management of water and fertilizer. To investigate the effects of irrigation amount and fertilizer regime on mango yield, fruit quality, water use efficiency (WUE) and partial fertilizer productivity (PFP), an orthogonal experiment [L9(3)4] was conducted on mango under drip fertigation during 2018–2019. The four factors were irrigation amount (IA) and fertilization rate at the flowering (FⅠ), fruit expansion (FⅡ) and fruit ripening (FⅢ) growth stages. There were three irrigation amounts, i.e., full irrigation (FI: 100%ETc), mild deficit irrigation (DIM: 75%ETc) and severe deficit irrigation (DIS: 50%ETc), and three fertilization rates, i.e., 75 (F75), 50 (F50) and 25 (F25) kg ha−1 using a compound water-soluble fertilizer (N:P2O5:K2O=20%:20%:20%). The results showed the order of factors influencing fruit yield and WUE in terms of their importance was IA, FⅡ, FⅠ and FⅢ, that influencing water, vitamin C and carotenoid contents in fruit was IA, FⅢ, FⅡ and FⅠ, and that influencing soluble solids and total sugar contents was IA, FⅢ, FⅠ and FⅡ. The WUE of DIMFⅠ50FⅡ75FⅢ25 was highest. FIFⅠ25FⅡ75FⅢ50 achieved the highest fruit yield, PFP and contents of soluble solid, vitamin C and carotenoid. DIMFⅠ25FⅡ50FⅢ75 had the highest total sugar content and the lowest titratable acid content. Based on the comprehensive scoring method, DIMFⅠ50FⅡ75FⅢ25 achieved the optimum score in terms of fruit yield and water–fertilizer use efficiency, while FIFⅠ25FⅡ75FⅢ50 was optimum for fruit quality. Further, the TOPSIS method indicated DIMFⅠ50FⅡ75FⅢ25 had the optimal comprehensive benefit. To obtain high yield, quality and water–fertilizer use efficiency, the recommended water and fertilizer scheduling was irrigation with 75% ETc and fertilization with 50, 75 and 25 kg ha−1 at the flowering, fruit expansion and fruit ripening stages, respectively. The research results provided a scientific reference for identified optimum combination irrigation and fertilizer in the xerothermic environment of southwest China. •Fruit yield, WUE, PFP and quality were more sensitive to irrigation than staged fertilization.•Increasing fertilizer allocation at fruit expansion stage, FI elevated fruit yield and PFP, while DIM increased