GUAVA

 Guava is known as ‘Apple of Tropics’.

 It is a tropical fruit but also grows well under sub-tropical conditions.
 It is grown all over the country in the kitchen gardening, near the tubewell premises and on
commercial scale.
 It is one of the most common and major fruit of India.
 Belong to family Myrtaceae.
 Most of the cultivars belong to Psidium guajava.

Important Species
1. Psidium guajava : Common guava
 It is a small tree can grow up to 8 meters.
 Fruit is berry, round, ovoid or pyriform in shape.
 Fruit Yellow in colour with flesh varying from white to deep pink or lemon.
 Numerous small reniform, hard seeds are embedded in the soft flesh towards the centre of the
fruit.
 Flavour is sweet, musky and ripe fruit is aromatic in a high degree.

2. Psidium cattleianum : Cattley or Strawberry guava.

 It is ornamental in appearance.
 It is bushy shrub, sometimes grow up to 7 m height.
 Fruit is obovate to round in shape, 2-3 cm in diameter.
 Fruit purplish red in colour with a thin skin.
 Flesh is soft, white, contains numerous hard seed.
 Flavour is sweet and aromatic just like that of strawberry.

3. Psidium guineense: Brazilian guava

 It is a shrub or small tree.
 Fruit is round, 2-3 cm in diameter, greenish yellow and hard when ripe.
 Flesh is whitish containing numerous small seeds.

4. Psidium friedrichsthalianum: Chinese guava

 Fruits are small and globose in shape.
 Fruits have high acid content.
 It is a wilt resistant and dwarfing species.

5. Psidium montanum: Mountain guava.

 It is a shrub, can grow up to 5 m height.
 It has flat round branchlets.

Important and Uses

 Highly nutritious fruit and contains vitamin C from 150-250 mg/100 g of pulp. Its vitamin
content is 4-5 times higher than citrus fruits.
 It is also rich in vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (Riboflavin) and minerals like Ca, P and Fe.
 Quality of winter season fruit is considered superior than rainy season fruits.
 Ripe fruits of Sardar (winter season) contains TSS 13.2%, acidity 0.3%, reducing sugars 4.6%,
total sugars 7.9%, vitamin C 200-300 mg/100 g pulp and pectin 1.15%.
 Guava fruit contains antioxidant factors and is known to control systolic blood pressure.
 Fruits are used for making juice, jam, jellies and various culinary purposes.
 Fruits can be canned in sugar syrup.
Area and Production
 It is 5th most important fruit of India in area and production.
 In India, it occupies an area of 1.6 lakh ha with annual production of 18.5 lakh mt.
 Bihar is the largest producer of guava followed by U.P. and Gujarat.
 Best quality guava are produced in U.P. Allahabad produce best guava in the country and in the
world.
 M.P., A.P., Maharashtra, T.N., W.B., Punjab, Haryana, Assam, Karnataka, Orissa, Kerala,
Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttranchal & J &K are the other states producing guava.
 In Punjab it ranks 3rd in cultivation after citrus and mango and grown all over the Punjab.
 In Punjab, it occupies 6690 ha with annual production 117075 mt.
 Sangrur, Patiala, Amritsar, Ropar, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Bathinda, Muktsar, Hoshiarpur,
Jalandhar and Faridkot are the important districts growing guava.
 In India, productivity of guava is 11.2 t/ha with average yield of 50 kg fruits per tree.
 In Punjab, productivity of guava is 17.5 t/ha with average yield of 80 Kg fruits per tree.

Origin and History

 Gauva is native to tropical America.
 Growing extensively from Mexico to Peru.
 Introduced in India during early 17th century.
 Growing commercially in Mexico, Peru, Egypt, Brazil, West Indies, India, South Africa, Algeria,
Columbia and USA.

Climate
 Due to its wider adaptability can be grown successfully under tropical and sub-tropical climatic
conditions.
 It grows well up to an elevation of 1000-1500 MSL.
 Relish annual rainfall below 100 cm restricted between June to September.
 Optimum temp. requirement is between 23-28oC.
 Areas having distinct winter season are considered best for increasing yield and improving fruit
quality.
 Humid conditions leads to luxuriant growth of the trees and yielded poor quality fruits.
 Young plants are susceptible to low temp. and drought conditions.
 At flowering and fruiting needs dry climate.
 High temp. and high velocity winds at fruit development leads to heavy fruit drop.
 Can be grown in arid and rainfed areas like Kandi belt of Punjab.

Soils
 It is hardy fruit plant and can be grown in poor, alkaline and ill-drained soils.
 It is sensitive to waterlogged conditions.
 Soils should be deep, well-drained, friable, sand loam to clay loam.
 Can grow best in pH ranging from 6.5 to 7.5 but can withstand soil pH up to 8.7.
 It is shallow rooted plant, therefore, surface soil should be rich.

Improved Varieties

Sardar (L-49)
 It is a selection from Allahabad Sufeda made by Dr. G.S. Cheema at Pune.
 Tree is dwarf with spreading branches.
 Fruit medium to large with rough surface and ribs on shoulders.
 Fruit colour straw yellow, having creamy while, smooth, juicy flesh with excellent taste.
 TSS 10-12%, flavour slightly acidic.
 Seed number about 340 per fruit.
 Average yield vary from 125 – 150 kg per tree.

Allahabad Sufeda
 Trees are somewhat drawf with round crown and spreading abranches.
 Tree has a less dense foliage then Sardar guava.
 Fruit medium in size, round and smooth with white flesh having pleasant flavour.
 Skin colour straw yellow.
 TSS 10-12%, seed number about 310.
 Average fruit yield vary from 120-140 kg per tree

Arka Amulya
 A hybrid of Seedless x Allahabad Sufeda.
 Trees are somewhat drawf; round crown and drooping branches with dense foliage.
 Fruit large, round, glossy with whitish flesh containing semi-soft seeds.
 TSS 9.3-10.1 and acidity 0.25-0.34%.
 Average yield is 144 kg per tree annually.

Apple Colour
 Fruit medium in size (112 g), round to spherical, surface slightly rough.
 Skin colour red or pinkish.
 Pulp soft, cream, pleasant flavour, taste sweet, quality good.
 Seeds 278 per fruit. Bearing heavy.

Red Fleshed
 Fruit medium to large (170 g), ovat roundish, surface smooth, glossy.
 Skin thick, pinkish yellow with small dots. Pulp pink, soft, flavour pleasant.
 Average seeds 570 per fruit. Fruit quality medium.

Seedless
 Fruit medium, pyriform, skin colour dull yellow, dots large.
 Pulp firm to soft, white, flavour mild, taste sweet.
 Poor keeping quality. Fruit is seedless. Bearing is poor.
Pear-Shaped and Chittidar are other varieites of U.P.

Raising of Rootstock and Propagation

 For raising rootstock, seeds may be extracted during rainy to winter season from well-sized
healthy fruits of Sardar and Allahabad Sufeda.
 Sardar guava seed is preferred as it is tolerant to wilt disease to some extent.
 Guava seed retain their viability for about a year.
 After extraction, seeds should be washed, mixed with ash and then dried and stored in dry
container at a cool place.
 Seed should be sown in March or August on raised seed beds of 2x1 m size.
 Seeds are closely sown at 2 cm depth in rows 8-10 cm apart on raised seed beds.
 Beds should be sufficient manured during February-March or July-August.
 Beds should be applied water daily with watering Can.
 Seedlings may develop from seed in about 15-20 days from the time of sowing.
 Seedlings attain 10-15 cm height after 6 months and should be transplanted at 25-35 cm apart in
nursery rows during August-September.
 Budding is done when seedling attain a diameter of 1.0 - 1.2 cm at about 15 cm height.
 To control damping off drench the seed beds with 0.3% Captan.
Propagation
 Propagation is commonly done through patch-budding, air-layering and inarching.
 Patch or improved patch budding is the best method of propagation.
 Patch or improved patch budding is done best during May-June when at give 75-80 per cent
success.
 Fleshy cut angular bud-wood from current season’s growth should be employed for budding.
 A semi-circular or a rectangular patch of bark (2.5 x 1.0 cm) with two buds is removed from the
scion stick. It is then fixed on the exposed portion of the rootstock and tied immediately.
 Inarching is practiced during July-August give 80-90% success.
 Air-layering is done during February-March and July-August.
Clonal Propagation
 Mound layering is used for the propagation of guava rootstock.
 Parent plants are first established in the nursery.
 Head back the plant just below spring or during rainy season.
 A ring of bark is removed from the stools coming out during spring and rainy season and these
are covered with moist soil.
 After rooting these shoots should be planted in pots or nursery for further development of roots
and shoots before budding/grafting with the desired scion variety.

Flowering and Fruiting

 In Norther India, 3 distinct flowering seasons i.e. summer, rainy and autumn with the
corresponding harvesting periods have been observed.
 In Punjab, guava flower first in April-May for rainy season crop and then in August-September
for winter season crop.
 Rainy season crop is considered poor in quality than winter season crop.
 Guava bears flowers solitary or in cymes of 2 or 3 flowers on the current season’s growth in axils
of the leaves.
 Blooming period varies from 25 to 45 days.
 Initial fruit set in guava is quite high and approximately 80% flowers set fruits. Due to severe
drop only 34-56% of fruits reach maturity.
 Rainy season crop is harvested during August and winter season from December-February.
 Sardar guava took 120 days in rainy season and 130 days in winter season to attain stage of
harvest maturity.
 Allahabad Sufeda took 130 days on rainy season and 140 days in winter season to attain stage of
harvest maturity.
 Growth of guava fruits can be divided into 3 distinct phases.
 In Sardar, growth of fruits is active up to 40 days in both rainy and winter season (Phase I), slow
between 40-80 days during both the seasons (Phase-II) and again active between 80-120 days
during rainy season at 80-130 days during winter season (Phase III).
 In Allahabad Sufeda, growth of fruits is active up to 50 days in rainy and winter season (Phase I),
slow between 50-80 days during both the season (Phase-II) and become again active between 80-
130 days during rainy season and 80-140 days during winter season (Phase III).

Planting
 Guava is planted during February-March or August-September with earth ball or bare rooted.
 When planting is done with bare rooted should be defoliated and the roots be covered with some
moist material.
 Planting should be done at 6x5 m thus accommodating 132 plants/acre as per square system.

Orchard Cultural Practices

Manuring and Fertilization
Age of trees FYM Urea (46% N) Superphosphate Muriate of Potash
(Years) 16% P205 60% K2O
(Kg/tree) (g/tree) (Kg/tree) (g/tree)
1-3 10 - 20 150-200 0.5 – 1.5 100 - 400
4-6 25 –40 300-600 1.5 – 2.0 600 – 1000
7–9 40 – 50 750 – 1000 2.0 – 2.5 1100 – 1500
10 and above 50 1000 2.5 1500

 FYM should be applied in May.

 Half the inorganic fertilizers should be applied in May-June and the remaining half in September-
October.

Zinc Deficiency
 Affected plants produce small leaves with yellowing or chlorosis in between the veins. Plant
growth is suppressed and the branches starting dieing back.
 Spray the gauva trees with ZnSo4- lime mixture (1 kg ZnSo4 + ½ Kg unslaked lime in 100 litres
of water). Give 2-3 such sprays at fortnights interval between June to September.

Irrigation
 Young plants need irrigation at weekly interval during summer months and 2-3 irrigations during
winter months.
 Bearing trees require irrigation for flowering and better fruit set after 2-3 weeks during summer
and at monthly interval during winter months.
 Copious irrigation at flowering should be avoided as it may cause excessive fruit drop.
 Irrigation during winter also found effective in reducing fruit drop and improving fruit size of
winter crop.

Intercropping
 Leguminious crops like cowpea, guava, gram, beans etc. should be sown as safe intercoprs.
 During initial 3-4 years, vegetables like radish, carrot, okra, brinjal can be interplanted in the
vacant land.
 Intercropping should be stopped when the trees attain age of full grown.

Chemical Weed Control

 Pre-emergence application of diuron (Hexuron 80 WP) @ 3.2 kg/ha (a.i.) can be made during
first fortnight of March for rainy season crop and during Ist fortnight of September for winter
season crop when field is free from weeds and stubbles.
 Glyphosate (Glyal 41 SL) @ 1.64 l/ha (a.i.) as post-emergence should be sprayed when the
weeds are growing actively preferably before weeds flower or attain a height of 15-20 cm i.e.
during 2nd fortnight of March for rainy season crop and during 2nd fortnight of September for
winter season crop.
 Dissolve herbicides in 500 l of water which is enough to give complete coverage on weeds in one
hac.
 Spray glycel during the calm day to avoid spray drift to the foliage of the trees.

Training and Pruning

 Training of guava trees improves fruit yield and quality. Modified leader system of training is
best for guava plants.
 Objective of training guava plants is to provide a strong framework and scaffold or branches
suitable for bearing a heavy remunerative crop without breakage of the branches.
 Flowers and fruits in guava are borne on current season’s growth, hence, a light annual pruning
up to 10 cm tip removal may provide useful to encourage new shoots after the harvest.
 Dead, diseased, intercrossing branches and suckers coming up from the base and sides of the
frame work should also be pruned back annually.

Crop Regulation
Rainy season crop may get infested heavily with fruit fly. In order to get only winter season crop,
the following methods can be adopted.
1. Spray 10% urea or 600 ppm NAA during May when maximum flowers have opened. Each tree
needs about 10 litres of solution.
2. Prune the terminal portion of the shoots up to 20-30 cm between 20 to 30 April.
3. Withhold irrigation during April-May.
4. Apply fertilizers during June to encourage growth in July-August for getting maximum flowering
during August-September for winter season crop.

Fruit maturity and Harvesting

 Guava is a climacteric fruit and should be picked hard ripe. When picked at this stage, it ripens
to give excellent taste and flavour.
 Fruits change their colour from dark green to greenish yellow at maturity.
 Fruits should not be allowed to over ripe on the trees as they deteriorate in quality and one more
liable to be damaged by birds.
 Do not retain leaves with the fruit as this practice leads to higher moisture loss from the fruit and
may injure the adjoining fruits and aggravate spoilage.
 Average yield of grafted guava is 1-2 quintals per tree.

Post-harvest handling
 Guava is highly perishable fruit and should be marketed immediately after harvest.
 Harvested fruits should be cleaned, graded and packed preferably in CFB cantons of sizes
ranging from 4-10 Kg or in bomboo baskets of different sizes.
 Guava fruits when picked at proper maturity can be kept at room temp. for one week in
perforated poly bags and for 3 weeks in CFB cartons in commercial cold storage at 0-3.3 oC temp.
and 85-90 RH.
 Dipping of fruits in 6-9% was emulsion extended shelf life for one month without any spoilage.

Problems in Cultivation
1. Fruit fly
 Most common and serious pest of guava.
 Being polyphagous, it feeds and breeds profusely on various fruit crops.
 It deposits the eggs at colour break stage of fruits in the soft epicarp.
 On hatching, the maggots bore further into fruits and feed on soft pulp.
 Infested fruits rot and fall down.
 Pupation takes place in the soil under trees.
Control
 Harvest the ripening fruits and do not allow the ripe fruits on the tree.
 Collect and burry the infested fruits atleast at 60 cm depth.
 Avoid taking rainy season crop following crop regulation practices.
 Shallow ploughing after harvest is effective in exposing and killing the pupating larvae/pupae
which are mostly present at 4-6 cm depth.
 Spray 1250 ml Sumicidin 20 EC (fenvalerate) in 500 litres of water at weekly intervals on
ripening fruits starting from July onwards till the rainy season crop is over.

2. Guava shoot borer

 Cause damage to tender shoots of nursery and adult trees of guava.
 Buds below the damaged portion produce lateral shoots and plants give bushy appearance.
 Infested shoots dry up.
Control
 In nursery, spray 280 ml Monocil 36 EC (Monocrotophos) or 500 ml Durmet 20 EC or 400 ml
Ekalux 25 EC (quinalphos) per acre.

3. Guava wilt
 Wilt is caused by Fusarium sp., Cephalosporium sp., Rhizoctonia Sp.
 Symptoms appear on the infested trees many months after their roots are attacked by fungi.
 Sparse foliage, denuded branches, yellowing of leaves and wilting are the important symptoms.
 In roots, cambium in between the bark and the wood shows discolouration.
Control
 Avoid too heavy soils. Plant guava in a well drained field.
 Uproot and burn the wilted trees.
 Rain or irrigation water should not be allowed to stand in the tree basin.
 Drench the soil in the pit with 2% Formalin solution and cover with Sarkanda and old wetted
gunny bags. Expose the soil for 14 days and replant healthy guava plants.
 Apply 10 g Bavistin to 4-5 year old plants and 20 g to full grown plants in 10 litres of water in
the basin of the affected plants. Repeat the treatment after one month.

4. Fruit rot, Anthracnose or Die back

 Fungus is caused by Gloeosporium psidii and Phytophthora parasitica, Rhizophus sp.,
Aspergilus sp.
 Fully mature fruits are more prone to attack of the fungus.
 Circular, slightly sunken, brown spots with definite margins appears on the fruits.
 Centre of a lesion has a pink sticky spore-mass, characteristics of anthracnose disease.
 Fruits rot completely within 2-3 days.
 Fungus also attacks young trees, twigs and branches during the rainy season resulting die-back of
the shoot from the distal end.
Control
 After pruning dead twigs, spray the trees with 300 g of Blitox or 300 g of Captan in 100 litres of
water. Repeat the spray after fruit set and continue spraying at 10-15 days interval till maturity.
 Rotten and mummified fruits should be buried deep into the soil.
 Avoid bruising of the fruits.
 Water should not be allowed to stand in the basin around the tree.
Arka Amulya