Guava (Psidium guajava)
- Botanical Name: Psidium guajava
- Family: Myrtaceae
- Origin: Peru (Tropical America)
- Common Name: Apple of the Tropics
- India’s Top Producing Region: Allahabad region of Uttar Pradesh – best fruit quality
- Guava improvement started: 1907 at Pune
Planting & Cultivation
- Planting Method: Square system
- Pit Size: 1 × 1 × 1 m
- Planting Season: June–December
- Spacing: 6 × 6 m
Propagation:
- Commercial: Air layering
- Cheapest: Stooling
- Intercropping: Legumes and vegetables (first 3 years)
- Soil Suitability: Susceptible to alkalinity and acidity
Pruning:
- Done after harvesting or in spring
- Avoid summer pruning to prevent sunburn
- Trained as low-headed trees for easy hand picking
- Meadow Orcharding: Technique for horizontal space utilization
Flowering & Fruiting Seasons (Bahar Treatment)
Bahar | Flowering | Harvesting | Fruit Quality |
Ambe Bahar | Feb–March | July–Sept | Poor, watery |
Mrig Bahar | June–July | Nov–Jan | Excellent |
Hasth Bahar | Oct | Feb–April | Good, low yield |
- South India: 3 crops/year possible
- Best Quality: Winter crop (avoids fruit fly attack)
Crop Regulation
- Practice of taking winter crop instead of rainy crop
- Rainy crop removal:
- Urea spray @ 10% – Allahabad Safeda
- Urea spray @ 20% – Lucknow-49
Important Varieties
🔸 A. Seedling & Commercial Varieties
Variety | Characteristics |
Allahabad Safeda | Famous white-fleshed variety |
Lucknow-49 (Sardar) | Selection from Allahabad Safeda |
Chittidar | Red dots on skin |
Lalit | Pink flesh, dual-purpose (24% higher yield than AS) |
Arka Mridula | Soft-seeded, dwarf |
Harijha | Popular in Bihar |
Hafsi | Red-fleshed |
Behat Coconut | Seedless variety |
Apple Colour | Pink fruit color |
Saharanpur Seedless | Seedless |
Allahabad Round | Parthenocarpic |
Allahabad Surkha | Uniform deep pink flesh |
Shweta | High TSS (14° Brix) |
Hissar Surekha | Local cultivar |
🔸 B. Hybrid Varieties
Hybrid | Parentage |
Kohir Safed | Kohir × Allahabad Safeda |
Safed Jam | Allahabad Safeda × Kohir |
Arka Amulya | Arka Safeda × Seedless |
Hybrid-45 | Allahabad Safeda × Sardar (L-49) |
CO-3, CO-4 | Regional hybrids |
Pests & Disorders
- Guava Wilt: Common in alkali soils. Chinese guava (P. fridrichsthalianum) used as rootstock for resistance to wilt & nematodes
- Fruit Drop: Major disorder: 45–65% fruit loss. Spraying GA₃ (Gibberellic acid) reduces fruit drop
- Bronzing: L-49 more susceptible than Allahabad Safeda
- Seedless Types: Bear both seedless and partly seeded fruits
Nutritional & Biochemical Importance
- Vitamin C: Highest in fruit peel at maturity
- Pectin: Rich source – used in jelly & jam
- Best Use: Preventing scurvy due to high Vit-C
Rootstocks
Rootstock | Trait |
Chinese Guava | Dwarfing, wilt & nematode resistant |
Aneuploid-82 | Dwarfing rootstock |
Quick Revision Points
- Propagation: Air layering (commercial), Stooling (cheapest)
- Pruning: Done post-harvest or spring; avoid summer
- Best Crop: Mrig Bahar (Nov–Jan) – excellent quality
- Urea Spray: 10% (AS), 20% (L-49) for rainy crop suppression
- Seedless: Behat Coconut, Saharanpur Seedless
- Parthenocarpic Variety: Allahabad Round
- Hybrids: Kohir Safed, Safed Jam, Hybrid-45
- Nutritional: Vit-C highest in peel, rich in pectin
