Cultivation of guava crop.

2.  ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION:
This is the 4th largest fruit crop of India. U.P. has the largest acreage under
guava followed by Bihar, M.P. and Maharashtra. Allahabad has the
reputation of growing the best guava in the country. In Maharashtra State
it is grown over an area of 5300 ha, mostly concentrated in Nasik, Poona,
Satara, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad districts.
Botanical name : Psidium guajava L.
Family : Myrtaceae
Origin : Tropical America

3.  COMPOSITION AND USES
• Guava fruit is relished when mature or ripe and freshly plucked from the tree.
• It is a rich source of ascorbic acid and pectin.
• Fruits may be utilized to make products like jam, jelly, cheese, juice, butter
canned segments, nectar, R.T.S beverage etc.
• However, the most commercial use of guava is for jelly preparation.
• There is great demand of Red Fleshed guava in world market for juice making.
Guava contains vitamin C( 100-260 mg/100 g pulp) and minerals like calcium
and Phosphorus. 2 to 5 times more than fresh orange juice, and dehydrated
guava juice powder is also a good source of vitamin C.
• In some countries the leaves are used for curing diarrhea and also for dyeing
and tanning.

4.  CLIMATE
• Guava is successfully grown under tropical and subtropical climate.
• The optimum temperature lies between 23o to 28oC.
• In areas having distinct winter season, the yield tends to increase and quality
improves. Although it tolerates little drought, irrigation facilities are required.
• It can stand summer temperature at 460C, Optimum annual rainfall varies
from 100 to 200 cm.
 SOIL
• Guava trees are very hardy and can thrive on all types of soil from alluvial to
lateritic. It can, however, be grown on heavier but well-drained soil.
• The best soils are deep, friable and well drained.
• The acceptable pH ranges between 4.5 and 8.2.

5.  VARIETES
1. Sardar (L-49) : It is prolific bearer, horizontal growing, medium sized plant.
Fruits are large, spherical, greenish yellow with milky white sweet pulp and
rough surface. Shell is fairly thick, contains few, semi-soft seeds in the inner
portion of pulp. Since the number of seeds is less, keeping quality is medium.
2. Allahabad Safeda: This is the most important cultivar of Uttar Pradesh. Trees
are vigorous with upright growth habit with dense foliage and has tendency to
produce long shoots. Fruits are medium, round, smooth, skin colour yellowish
white, white fleshed and with few seeds. Keeping quality is good.
3. Lalit: is another variety with pink flesh used for juice purpose.
4. Shweta: The variety recently developed by CISH, Lucknow is suitable for
commercial cultivation. It is a variety with medium size globose fruits creamy
white skin with red spots or blush and snow-white flesh. Fruits are attractive
and have good nutritive value.

6. Sardar (L-49) Lalit Arka Mridula
Allahabad Safeda Shweta Allahabad Surkha

7.  PROPAGATION
Both the methods i.e. seed and vegetative are useful. Seed propagation though
very quick and easy, gives lot of variation due to heterozygous in nature.
Seed propagation:
For raising rootstocks, seeds are used to obtain seedlings on which the desired
variety(scion)can be grafted. The seeds should be removed from the ripe fruits,
washed thoroughly to remove pulp, dried and stored. It is better to sow these
seeds as early as possible after extraction in seed beds.
Air-layering :
Air-layering is one of the most important commercial methods in practice for
propogation of guava. Shoots selected for air-layering should be 1 cm in diameter
and preferably from previous year’s growth. A ring of bark of about 3 cm long is
removed and covered with sphagnum moss, previously soaked in water
and wrapped with polythene film.

8.  Plant Density:
Traditionally guava is planted at a spacing of 5mx5m or 6mx6m accommodating
278 to 400 plants per hectare in a square system of planting. The distance
between trees has a profound influence on growth, yield, fruit quality and on
nutritional levels of leaves.
The meadow orchard system of guava accommodates 5000 plants ha-I, planted at
2.0 x 1.0 m spacing and managed with regular topping and hedging, especially
during initial stages. Toppingand hedging in guava arehelpful in controlling tree
size and extending fruit availability.
This method of planting was recently developed by CISH, Lucknow.

9. IRRIGATION:
Immediately after planting, orchard is irrigated, on 1st and 3rd day. After this if
there are no rains, irrigates the orchards at shorter intervals for about 2 months,
till the plants get established. Normally, orchard does not require irrigation during
monsoon, while in winter and summer season orchard is irrigated at an interval of
10-15 and 4-6 days respectively.
MANURING:
Age of plant
(Year)
Fertilizer per tree
FYM N P K
First 5 to 8 100 50 50
Second 10 200 100 100
Third 15 to 25 300 150 150
Fourth 25 to 30 400 200 200
Fifth & above 40 to 50 500 to 650 250 to 325 250 to 375
Whole of FYM, P205 and K20 and half dose of N is given at the time of bahar treatment.
Remaining half dose of N is given after 1 -1.5 months.

10.  TRAINING AND PRUNING
Training of guava trees to open centre system is good. Care must be taken
Under Maharashtra conditions, it needs no pruning. Training is required to give
shape. Trained to four strong and well grown branches radiating from the trunk on
all sides about 1.0 m from the ground level should be allowed to grow to give shape.
As the flowers and fruits are borne on current season’s growth, a light annual
pruning is considered necessary to encourage new shoots after the harvest. All
dead, diseased, crowded growths and suckers coming up from the base and sides
of the framework should be pruned back annually.

11.  Flowering :
In northern India guava flowers twice a year, first in April-May for rainy season
crop and then August- September for winter season crop.
In Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, there is a third crop; with flowering appearing in
October. The guava bears flower solitary or in cymes of two or three flowers, on the
current season growth on the axil of leaves. Both terminal as well as lateral flowers
bearing shoots observed in guava. The flowering period varies from 25 to 45 days
depending upon the cultivar, season and region. Anthesis takes place in Allahabad
Safeda (6.30 to 8.00 am), Chittidar (5.30 to 6.45 am) and L-49 (5.30 to 6.15 am).
Guava is highly pollinated crop and pollination occurs through honey bees.

12.  Regulation of flowering
The fruits produced in the rainy season are rather insipid, insect infected and
watery and do not keep well. Rainy season crop can be regulated for winter
season as follows:
(i) Hand thinning of flower is done during March-April but this method is expensive
and time taking. But flower thinning by hand was effective to increase the yield
in winter season crop.
(ii) Withholding of irrigation water during March-April resulting in dropping of
flowers and there by producing more yield in winter season.
(iii) Root exposure and root prunning are done during March-April, irrigation also
restricted. However, root prunning has harmful effect on the longevity of trees.
(iv) Growth regulators have been found very effective in thinning of flowers and
regulating the cropping season. 80-10 ppm NAA was very effective in thinning of
flowers of Allahabad Safeda

13.  Fruit set
The natural fruit set is quit high in guava and about
80-86 per cent of flowers set fruit. But due to severe
fruit drop only 34 to 56 per cent of fruits attain
maturity. Maximum flowers are dropped within 5-12
days of anthesis. Formation of first fruit noticed after
12 days from flowering. Spraying of GA3 at 15 to 30
ppm in the month of January proved effective in
increasing fruit retention.
 Fruit growth
The growth of guava fruits followed a double sigmoid
curve. Guava cultivar viz., Safeda took 137 days; L-49
took 106 to 138 days to reach the fruit maturity.

14.  HARVESTING :
Grafted plants of guava start bearing from third year after planting. Fruits
turn greenish yellow with the advancement of maturity. Hand picking at regular
intervals is suggested to avoid possible damage to fruits instead of shaking the
tree. Guava fruits mature for harvesting after 4-5 months of anthesis. At the time
of maturity, guava fruits contain 0.960-0.950 specific gravity, 12 to 12.6 per cent
TSS, 0.36 to 0.41 per cent acidity. Rainy season crop is harvested at the interval
of 2-3 days while, winter season at 4-5 days interval.
 YIELD :
Economic yield are obtained from 7-8 years onwards. It takes nearly five
months for maturity of fruits after flowering. The maturity of fruits is judged by
observing the change in colour of fruits from dark green to pale green. The
average yield per tree was estimated to be 90 kg from the seedling trees and 350
kg from the grafted trees. Allahabad Safeda - 500 to 600 fruits per tree from 7
years old plant under Pantnagar Conditions. Sardar - 25 tones/hectare and
1000 - 1300 fruits / plant. Local - 10-15 tones/hectare

15.  PESTS :
1. Fruit fly (Dacus dorsalis)
It attacks mostly the rainy season crop. Affected fruits dropped down, Dark
greenish pictures on the surface of the fruit indicate the infestation of this pest.
Control: Avoid rainy season crop (ambe bahar). Spraying of 0.1% Fenthion or 0.08
% Malathion, however, after spraying fruit harvest be avoided for 15 days.
2. Guava scale Insect (Chloropulvinaria psidii))
This is a serious pest in Maharashtra. They are small green insects found on young
leaves, shoots and sometimes fruits and damage them by sucking sap.
Control: Spray of 0.1% Metasystox is very effective. Heavily infected shoots should
also be pruned out and destroyed.
3. Mealy Bug: Guava has been reported to be attacked by mango mealy bug
(Drosicha mangiferae) and citrus mealy bug (Planococcus citri). The tiny small
bugs suck sap from young leaves, twigs and flowers. The affected parts dry up
and the yield is considerably reduced.
.

16.  DISEASES :
1. Guava wilts
Most serious fungal disease in North India found in alkaline soils. Affected
trees show yellowing of leaves followed by drying of leaves and twig from the tip
and complete wilting of trees within 10 to 15 days.
Control: Avoid waterlogged situations, removal and burning of infected trees and
soil drenching with 0.3% Thirum or 0.1% Benlate. Cultivars such as Banarasi,
Dholka Sind, Nasik, Supreme are resistant to wilt.
2. Anthracnose (Colletotrichum psidii)
This disease mainly affects fruits, common on rainy season crop. The disease
spreads in cool as well as in hot dry weather.
Control: Spraying with 3:3:50 Bordeaux mixture or 0.1 to 1.5% Phytolon. The
cultivar "Apple colour" is tolerant to this disease..

17. Fruit Fly Mealy Bug Scale Insect
Guava wilt Anthracnose

18. Thank-You