Decision guides · Citrus (Nagpur mandarin)
Nagpur orange bahar management: ambia or mrig, when to stress, when to water
Nagpur mandarin should carry one bahar (flowering flush) a year: ambia (flowers in January and February) or mrig (flowers in June and July). Taking a bahar means withholding water for a set period and restarting it before flowering. Get the timing wrong and flowering is poor or fruit drops.
Last checked (AI-assisted): 15 Oct 2026. Checked on 15 Oct 2026 against published ICAR, state agricultural university and FAO guidance with AI assistance. Not yet reviewed by an agronomist or tested with farmers. No spray, pesticide, fertiliser or irrigation amount is given here; for those, test your soil and ask your KVK or an agronomist.
What a bahar is
A bahar is the tree's flowering season. Withhold water for a set period and the tree rests; restart water and it flowers together. This is called taking a bahar.
Two bahars on one tree at the same time give small fruit and an exhausted tree. Choose one bahar and keep it every year.
Ambia or mrig
Ambia bahar: stress in November and December. Water is stopped once the harvest is done; it is best to finish harvesting by the first week of December. Water restarts in January and flowers come in January and February. Harvest is October to December. The fruit is on the tree through the March to May summer, so it needs regular water then.
Mrig bahar: stress from late April to May. The first rain ends the stress and flowers come in June and July; if the rain is late, water has to be given in June. Harvest is February to March. Where summer water is scarce this bahar is easier, because water is off during the stress anyway.
Decide by two things: how much water you have in summer, and which month you want to sell in. Talk to the KVK or an agronomist once; do not switch bahars every year.
How to give the stress
Stress means no water at all for the set period. Leaves wilt a little and old leaves drop. This is expected.
The length depends on the soil: fewer days on light soil, more on heavy soil. The usual durations are in the CCRI and PDKV recommendations; confirm the number for your soil with an agronomist.
If the tree is over-stressed (heavy leaf fall, twigs drying) release the stress at once. Saving the tree matters more than the bahar.
When to release the stress
Releasing means restarting water. When to restart depends on your soil and how much stress the trees received; confirm it with an agronomist. Flowers appear some weeks after water restarts.
This is where the weekly satellite report helps: you see each week whether canopy greenness is coming back after water restarts. If it is not, check that water is actually reaching the trees.
Common mistakes
Taking two bahars together. Restarting water in a hurry after a shower in the stress period. A long gap in water after flowering. No fertiliser or product is named anywhere in this guide; take that from an agronomist.
What to check in your field or orchard this week
- During stress: are leaves wilting but twigs still green?
- After water restarts: do you see buds within a few weeks?
- Is flowering even across the orchard, or thin on one side?
A Watch message says only what changed and what to check. It never names a product, a fertiliser or an irrigation amount.
Questions
In which months are ambia and mrig bahar taken?
For ambia bahar, water is usually withheld in November and December and restored in January; trees flower in January and February and the fruit is ready from October to December. For mrig bahar, the stress comes in April and May and the June-July rains bring flowering; the fruit is ready from January to March. Ask your KVK how long to stress for your soil.
Who decides which month to take the bahar?
You do, from the soil's water-holding capacity and the market month. The KVK or an agronomist can help with the choice. Keep the same bahar every year.
What if it rains during the stress period?
A light shower: continue the stress. A heavy rain breaks the stress and flowering can be thin. Ask the KVK or an agronomist at once. There is a remedy, but it is a product and only an agronomist should give the amount.
Can the satellite decide the bahar?
No. You decide the bahar. The satellite only shows, week by week, when canopy greenness dropped and when it came back.
Want a weekly message for your field?
Call us to join. Free to watch. What changed in your field or orchard, every week, with the date and the source.
Sources
- ICAR-CCRI Nagpur, month-by-month guidelines for citrus growers: bahar stress, restarting water, flowering · ccri.org.in/calendar-of-operations/
- Dr. PDKV, Akola: All India Coordinated Research Project on Citrus, findings for Nagpur mandarin (soil moisture stress, irrigation scheduling, fruit drop) · www.pdkv.ac.in/?p=4604
- FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 56 (Allen et al., 1998): crop coefficients for citrus · www.fao.org/4/x0490e/x0490e00.htm
More guides
- How much water does an orange tree need? When to irrigate Nagpur orange
- Drip irrigation for orange trees: a month-by-month schedule
- Citrus fruit drop: causes, and what to check first
- Why citrus leaves turn yellow: read the pattern, find the cause, then act
- What are ambia and mrig bahar? Choosing the right one for your orchard
- Water stress: the sign on the tree, the sign in the soil, the sign from the satellite
- Nagpur orange season: when to harvest ambia and mrig fruit
- Weather and irrigation: how the five-day forecast changes the watering schedule
- What is satellite farming? What a satellite sees in your orchard, and what it cannot
- Ambia bahar orange crop insurance in Maharashtra: what it covers, who can enrol, how to apply
- Nagpur orange planting (santra lagwad): soil, spacing, pit size, rootstock and planting time
- Nagpur orange fertiliser (santra khat vyavasthapan): what to ask your KVK before you apply
- Nagpur orange season and GI tag: when ambia and mrig bahar fruit reach the market
- How to see a satellite image of your own field for free: Copernicus Browser, NASA Worldview and ISRO Bhuvan
- NDVI full form and meaning: what NDVI is and what it tells you about an orange orchard
- Cotton in Vidarbha: what to check, and when, from sowing to picking
- Soybean in Vidarbha: what to check, and when, from sowing to harvest
- Tur (pigeonpea) in Vidarbha: what to check, and when, from sowing to harvest
- Chana (chickpea) in Vidarbha: what to check, and when, from sowing to harvest
How we compute this and what the limits are: the methods page