Crop Production

Guava (Psidium guajava): Guava is one of the important fruit crops grown throughout the tropical and sub-tropical parts of India due to its a hardy nature and wider adaptability. It is considered as one of the exquisite, nutritionally valuable and a remunerative crop among the various fruit crops. Besides its high nutritive value, it produce good yield and economic returns involving very little inputs and little care and is good for rainfed areas.

Crop regulation

  • Crop regulation:  In guava, two distinct seasons of flowering viz., spring (April-May) and rainy season (August-September) occur from which fruits ripen respectively during rainy and winter seasons. In South India a third flowering, although sparse, also occurs during October. The rainy season crop of guava is of poor fruit quality and is affected by many insect pests compared to winter crop. Therefore regulation of flowering is required to improve the fruit quality and profitability by methods like withholding irrigation, root exposure, pruning and thinning of flowers. In different regions different methods of crop regulation are followed depending on climatic factors, cropping pattern etc. Withholding irrigation from December to June or until the beginning of monsoon depending upon prevailing conditions at a particular location has been recommended in peninsular India. Practices like root exposure and root pruning are practiced to suppress the rainy season crop so as to get a good winter crop under West Indian conditions. Pruning 3/4th and half of current season’s shoot growth of spring flush during 1st week of May to avoid rainy season crop have been advocated in northern parts of the country. Flower and fruit thinning manually and by sprays of chemicals like napthalene acetic acid (NAA), at 100-800 ppm depending on climatic condition, napthalene acetamide at 50-75 pm, carbaryl at 300 ppm, ethephon 300-500 ppm, 2-4 dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) 30-50ppm and urea 10-15 percent were also found effective under North Indian conditions. Under Bangalore conditions, crop regulation by various methods such as pruning, NAA, ethephon, potassium iodide and urea at different concentrations did not yield desired results for crop regulation.



Guava general information.

Guava (Psidium guajava L) of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), is the fifth most widely grown fruit crop in India after banana, mango, citrus and papaya. The fruit has gained considerable prominence in India due to its high nutritive value, moderate prices, pleasant aroma and good flavour. Guava is a rich source of vitamin C and pectin and moderate source of B vitamins, calcium, iron and phosphorus. It is one of the commonest fresh fruits liked by the rich and the poor alike and is popularly known as the ‘apple of tropics’ or `poor man’s apple’. Only a small quantity of the production is utilized for processing in the form of jelly, canned cups, juice and nectar, cheese, toffee bar, powder, flakes and strained baby foods have also been prepared besides commercial pectin.

Contact us.

  • ICAR - IIHR.
  • Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessaraghatta Lake post, Bengaluru - 560 089.
  •   Phone +91-80 23686100. website : www.iihr.res.in