Guava Cultivation Guide: Complete Guide On Guava Framing

• Centre of origin-Native plant in Mesoamerica and tropical America
• Chromosome number-22
• Family-Myrtaceae
• Order-Myrtales
• Kingdom-Plantae 
  
  
  
  
  

Introduction

• Guava is a very popular fruit.
• Guavas are evergreen, shallow-rooted shrubs or small trees that grow to 33 ft in height, with spreading branches.
•  It is a hardy crop(i.e. it can survive as low as 5°C)
• Guava leaf extract may even help in treating acne.
• Guava is one of the richest sources of vitamin-C.
• It can also prevent the growth and development of cancer cells.
• Enhances immunity, helps relieve in painful menstruation.
• It is an ideal fruit for nutritional security due to its high nutritional value.
• Major producing countries are China, India, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Italy, Indonesia.
• Guava production in 2019 in India is 18.8 million metric tons and in world 46.5 million metric tons.
• Guava trees grow rapidly and fruit in 2 to 4 years from seed. They live till 30 to 40 years but productivity declines after the 15th year.
  
  
  
  
  

Area and distribution

• The area under guava is about 0.15 million hectares. 
• India ranks 1st in guava production followed by China. 
• Although guava can be grown throughout India, it is most successful in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh.
• Approximately 501,600 acres are dedicated to the production of guava in India.
  
  
  
  
  

Soil Requirements

• Guava is cultivated on varied types of soils-heavy clay to very light sandy soils.
• Very good quality guavas are produced in river-basins.
• It can grow well in the soil pH range of 4.5- 8.2. 
• Maximum concentration of its feeding roots is available up to 25 cm soil depth.
• The topsoil should be quite rich to provide enough nutrients for accelerating new growth which bears fruits.
  
  
  
  

Climate and temperature

• Guava is successfully grown under tropical and subtropical climate.
• The quality of the fruits is better in areas having distinct winters, therefore, guava grown near Allahabad is famous for the best quality fruits.
• Although guava tolerates drought, protective irrigation facilities are required.
• It grows best with an annual rainfall around 1000 mm restricted between June and September.
• The optimum temperature for germination of guava is 20-28°C.
• In winters the temperature must not fall less than 3°C (remember that guava is not tolerant to frost) 
• Guava prefers full day sunshine and they are drought tolerant as well.
  
  
  
  

Guava propagation 

• Guava can be propagated by seeds as well as by vegetative means.

Growing guava from cuttings

• Guava can be obtained through layering, grafting, cutting and budding.
• Its propagation by cuttings under ordinary condition is not successful.
• It is only successful under intermittent mist conditions with the aid of rooting hormones like IBA and NAA.

Growing guava from seeds

• Seed should not be in the dormant stage.    
• Press one seed into the center of the pot with your finger. Be sure to cover the seed with a bit of soilless mixture. 
• Water the seeds with a misting spray and place the container in a warm place with temperatures around(18°C.) or above. 
• Transplant the seedlings to pots when they have 2-4 sets of leaves, then move them outdoors.
  
  
  
  

Spacing 

• If spacing is 1.5 m × 3.0 m(plant × row) the farm can accommodate 2222 plants per hectare.
• If spacing is 3.0 m × 3.0 m(plant × row) the farm can accommodate 1111 plants per hectare.
• If spacing is 3.0 m × 6.0 m(plant × row) the farm can accommodate 555 plants per hectare.
  
  
  
  

Method of seeding

• One year shoots are used for obtaining 20-25 cm of cuttings. These cuttings are dipped in 200 ppm of IBA solution for 24 hours and then planted into the soil beds.
• Seeds should be planted at depth of 2× the width or diameter.
  
  
  
  

Nutrition Value 

• 100 gm. of guava can fulfil 14% of your daily fibre requirement. Guava is a good source of vitamins A and C, copper, folate, and fibre. It contains antioxidants such as beta carotene and lycopene, as well as iron, B vitamins, potassium, zinc, and phosphorus. 
• Guava provides 68 kcal of energy.
• Guava provides 9% of potassium.
• Guava provides 26% of copper.

Fertilizers

• A fertilizer dose of 600 g nitrogen and 400 g of Potassium is necessary in the northern region it varies with the places due to surrounding environment and climatic conditions.
  
  
  
  
  

Irrigation requirements

• Yearly average water requirement of guava was estimated to be 206 mm excluding effective rainfall. 
• In an experiment, it is observed that a drip irrigation system provides greater yield than the ring basin method.
• The lowest yield was observed in the ring basin irrigation system.
  
  
  
  
  

Weed management

• We can use different cultural operation for controlling weeds i.e. Hand-picking, Burning, etc.

• These methods are to be selected according to the place and availability of required material, area of orchard and so many different factors.
  
• The chemical control of weeds in guava can be done by spraying of basal painting with ester formulations of 2,4,5-T is the best method of chemical control.