Gauva

• In India, Gauva is cultivated in more than sixteen thousand hectares. But in Andhra Pradesh the area under guava is estimated as only 4,770 hectares.

Varieties

Allahabad Safeda

• Tree vigorous, medium tall, 5.8 to 6.2m, branching with dense foliage, tendency to produce long shoot, crown broad and compact, leaves 9.5 to 9.8cm long and 4.8cm wide elliptical to oblong in shape. Fruits medium in quality, roundish in shape and weight 180g and keeping quality good.

Lucknow-49 or Sardar Guava

• Semi dwarf tree, vigorous, heavy branching, corwn flat. Leaves large, elliptic, ovate to oblong in shape. Fruits roundish ovate in shape. Skin colour primroseyellow with occasional red dots on the skin. Earlly bearing in season. Taste sweet and keeping quality excellent. Profuse bearer.

Safed Jam

• Tree medium sized drooping branches, fruits round, average weight 150g, thin skin, tasty. It is a hybrid of Allhabad Safeda and Kohir and evolved at Fruit Research Station, Sangareddy. Seeds soft, located at the core. Flesh soft and dull white in colour.

Kohir Safeda

• It is a hybrid between Kohir Safeda selection and Allahabad Safeda and evolved at Fruit Research Station, Sangareddy. Tree is large, dome-shaped, bears profusely. Fruits are large, oblong, average weight 200g and some what hard seeded.

Soils

• Almost all soils are suitable for guava cultivation. However, deep loams with good drainage are highly suitable. It is sensitive to water logging. Although it survives upto 8.2pH, planting should not be done on saline or alkaline soils.
• In areas, having a distinct winter season, the yield tends to increase and quality improves. If requires dry atmosphere at the time of flowering and fruting. High temperature at the time of fruit development causes fruit drop.

Propagation

• Planting is done in June-July or October-November depending on rainfall and its distribution and the type of soil. Pits of 60cm x 60cm x 60cm are dug in summer season at a spacing of 6 to 7 meters on either side. The pits are filled with Farm yard manure and soil in equal proportions at the commencement of monsoon. About 100g of BHC 10% dust is also mixed to ward off termites. Layers taken from food pedigree trees should be obtained for planting.

Manures and fertilizers

• In case of zinc deficiency identified by interveinal chlorosis, sparse foliage, reduced leaf size and meager fruit production, pre-flowering spray of 0.3% zinc sulphate along with 0.15% lime should be given.

Intercultivation

• The root suckers should be removed frequently. The tree should be pruned and trained to good shape and with strong branches.
• Intercrops like vegetables and fruits like phasla can be profitably grown in all soils in young orchards upto 4^th year. Good crops can be obtained if the trees given Bahar treatment, i.e, withholding water for about a week expose the surface roots and then irrigate the trees after application of manures and covering the roots before flowering.

Irrigation

• For young plants, irrigation at 2-3 days interval and for grown up trees at 10 days interval. Basins should be widened as the tree grows in size.

Plant protection

Stem borer

• Attacks the tree between February and April Months. The grubs should be removed and petrol is injected into the holes and plugged to kill and young ones remaining inside.

Wilt

• Yellowing and browning of leaves at the tips of twigs is the characteristic symptom. Splitting of bark and drying of leaves on terminal branches is followed by complete wilting of plants in 10-15 days.
• Control : Soil may be treated with lime or gypsum @ 1 to 2 kg/tree, to prevent the disease Dry branches may be removed and wilted plants uprooted.

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