Mysore: For those who loved mangoes for lunch and dinner at home, there was a bumper crop in 2011. But, what Horticulture department officials took by surprise, was that in an “off year”(2012), when no harvesting of mangoes was expected in groves, the mango trees are flowering all over South India.

It is a “rare phenomenon” they said, that occurs once in 50 years. So there will be one more bumper harvest by spring season this year well.

The officials eager to study such a sight of flowers on Mango trees went round the state when nature had falsified their predictions and they noticed followers in many mango groves, and felt inwardly happy at nature having her last laugh in the state of drought conditions in 130 talks this year.

There was a cold wave after the drought twice or thrice in January 2012, and when that happened, the nature smiled with flowers in every mango tree, they found.

S.V. Hittalmani, additional Director(fruits and flowers) who has 37 years service behind him since 1975, termed it a rare occurrence.

A good carbohydrate and nitrogen ratio(C/N) was necessary for a health flowering. The drought followed by chill in climate increased the C/N ratio triggering Mango flowering despite an “off year” prediction for the king of fruits.

Wait till they arrive in 2 months in city market.