Dept of Agriculture Development 
SFAC KeralaGuava is rich in Vitamin C, A and calcium. Excellent for making jelly due to high pectin. Centre of origin Tropical America. Introduced to India in 17th century by Portuguese. Grown in Cuba, Hawaii, mexico, West Indies, Philippines, India etc. In India, the major growing states are UP, AP, Bihar, Karnataka , Tamil Nadu, Gujarat etc.
Guava thrives well in places receiving medium rainfall not exceeding 100 cm.
In heavy rainfall areas, plants grow luxuriantly, but the quality of the fruits is found to be very poor and insipid.
It grows well on any type of soil. Red sandy loam soil with good drainage is most ideal for commercial cultivation of guava.
Guava can tolerate salt upto 7.5 – 8 ds / m.
Sodium should not exceed 40% ESP.
Allahabad Safeda, Allahabad Surkha, Sardar (Lucknow-49),
Red Fleshed, Apple Coloured and Pear Shaped, Chittidar , Hafsi
June-July is the ideal time for planting
Air layering - Widely adopted. Layers strike roots within 3-5 weeks. When the roots grow through the ball of moss, the stem may be severed below the girdled area in stages. The polythene film is removed & then potted and kept in the shade until new leaves appear. When the new flushes are produced, the plant can be hardened in full sunlight preparatory to transplanting in the field.
Ground layering – Plant the mother trees 4 feet apart in trenches. Head back to 6”. Remove the bark of side shoots and apply IBA and cover with soil.
Grafting – P.cujavalis ( Wilt resistant ), P. cattleianum (small tree, good yield),
P. pumilum (dwarfing) etc. can be used as rootstocks.
Cuttings – Soft wood cutting in July with 2500 ppm IBA gives good rooting.
Pit size - 1 m x 1 m x 1m
Spacing - 6x 6 m (Square system )
Fill the pits with top soil, sand and cow dung before planting.
Layers are planted in the centre of the pit. Stake the plants.
After planting, mulching the plot. Irrigate in summer.
Guava can be grown as an intercrop in coconut gardens.
HDP
Double hedge row accommodating 800-900 trees / ha increased yield and productivity, but decreased quality
For fully grown & bearing plant - 80 kg of FYM, 200 g N, 80 g P2O5 and 260 g K2O. In 2 or 3 split doses.
1% Urea Spray during new flush growth increases yield.
Micro nutrient spray
Zn deficiency (Rosette of leaves) – 500g ZnSO4 + 350g slaked lime in 72 l of water. Spray at 15 to 30 days interval
Zn, Mg, Mn Cu & Fe deficiency (Chlorosis, Marginal scorch, little leaf) - 25 g each of ZnSo4, MgSO4, MnSO4 and 12.5 g each of CuSO4 , FeSO4 in 5 l of water. Spray on leaves 4 times – at new flush, 1 month later, at flowering and at fruit set.
B deficiency (hinder fruit development, causes fruit cracking and corky skin) Spray 0.3% Borax
K deficiency (marginal scorch of leaves) - Spray 1% MOP
Guava thrives well in places receiving medium rainfall not exceeding 100 cm.
In heavy rainfall areas, plants grow luxuriantly, but the quality of the fruits is found to be very poor and insipid
Irrigation is must during summer
In South India, the main flowering flush is in March-April. Fruits mature in August-September.
The 2nd flowering season is October-November. Fruits develop in rainy season and mature in February-March. The first crop is heavy and the second is poor.
In North India , fruits maturing in winter are of better quality than rainy season crop.
Yield - Guava starts bearing from 3-4 years after planting.
About 500-800 fruits per year can be obtained from a 10 year old tree.
Fruit growth follows a double sigmoid curve.
