Guava Production in India: Benefits and Step-by-Step Cultivation Process

Table of Content

• Guava Production in India
• Which are the popular Guava Varieties in India?
• What are the health benefits of Guava?
• What is the Step-by-Step Process of Guava Cultivation in India?
  • Climate & Soil Requirements
  • Land Preparation
  • Planting Season
  • Spacing
  • Planting System
  • Nutrition
  • Irrigation
  • Training & Pruning
  • Intercultural Operations
  • Mulching
  • Intercropping
  • Growth Regulators
  • Protection Measures
  • Harvesting and Yield
  • Post Harvest Management
• Which are the Top 10 Guava Producing States in India?

Guava Production in India

Guava is one of the most essential commercial fruits in India and the fourth most important after mango, banana, & citrus. It is a native fruit to tropical America and was introduced in India in the 17^th century. The area under Guava cultivation has increased by 64% from 94,000 hectares in 1991-92 to 1,55,000 hectares in 2001-02. As per the latest data from APEDA Agri Exchange, the total Guava production in 2021-22 was around 3,754.30 thousand tonnes.

Which are the popular Guava Varieties in India?

There are many varieties of Guava that are cultivated in India. The Indian Guava varieties are named based on their skin and pulp colour. The most preferred Guava varieties of fruit pulp manufacturers are white Guava and Pink Guava. Some Guava varieties are named according to their place of origin and shape. Among them, the popular ones are Allahabad Safeda and Sardar varieties, which dominate the Indian market because of their exceptional quality, high-yielding capacity, and worldwide acceptance. The other popular types of Guavas cultivated in India are Pant Prabhat, Dhareedar, Lalit, Arka Mridula, Harijan, Chittidar, and Khaja (Bengal Safeda).

What are the health benefits of Guava?

As per a recent survey conducted by the National Institute of Nutrition, Guava contains the highest concentration of antioxidant levels among mango, pomegranate, and custard apple. Antioxidants help control the level of disease-causing free radicals in the body, protect against cell damage, reduce cancer risks, and prevent skin ageing. The different health benefits of consuming Guava are:

• Vitamin C, A and E are rich in antioxidants, and one guava fruit has 125 grams of Vitamin C, which is more than required for strengthening your immune system.
• It contains five times more vitamins than an orange. Guava has 212 mg vitamins per 100 grams, whereas an orange contains 40 mg vitamins per 100 grams.
• As per some studies, consumption of Guava pulp or juice has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular health as Guava pulp helps platelets clump together, which is important for blood health.
• Guava helps in weight loss as it is low in calories and fat and rich in fibre.
• Guava is a great source of vitamins and antioxidants that assist in keeping your skin beautiful and healthy.

What is the Step-by-Step Process of Guava Cultivation in India?

Climate & Soil Requirements

Guava can be cultivated in both tropical and sub-tropical regions up to 1,500 meters above sea level. It can survive drought conditions and high temperatures prevalent in North India during summers. However, Guava is susceptible to severe frost as it can kill the young plant. It requires an annual rainfall of 100 cm during rainy season (July to September). However, rainfall during harvesting period can degrade the fruit quality.

The cultivation of Guava requires heavy clay to very light sandy soils with a pH value of 4.5 to 8.2. A good quality Guava is produced in river basins. It is sensitive to water logging.

Land Preparation

You need to prepare the land for plantation during summer season. It can be done by ploughing, harrowing, levelling the land, and eliminating weeds.

Planting Season

The plantation of Guava plant is done during rainy season. The suitable time for planting the layers and seedlings of Guava is between June and July.

Spacing

The plantation must be done at a distance of 5 to 8 meters. The exact spacing is decided according to the selected variety, soil fertility, and availability of irrigation facilities. The standard spacing distance is 6 X 6 meters, which can accommodate 112 plants per acre. Productivity can be improved by increasing the plant density. High density planting helps in erect growth of branches, making the tree tall and compact, providing a higher yield per unit area in early years of fruiting.

Planting System

Guavas can be cultivated in different planting systems, which include square, hedge row, double hedge row, and cluster planting. Square planting method is generally preferred in which pits of 1X1X1 meter are dug before the arrival of monsoon and filled with a mixture of soil and farmyard manure.

Nutrition

The fertilizer application timing depends on the crop variety and region. In North India, the fertilizer is applied in May first week for rainy season crops and in July first week for winter season crops. The Guava plant should be manured two times a year, first during June to July and second during October.

The recommended fertilizer dose per plant per year in various regions of India are:

• Northern Region: 600 grams N and 400 grams K.
• Eastern Region: 260 grams N, 320 grams P and 260 grams K.
• Southern Region: 900 grams N, 600 grams P and 600 grams K.
• Western Region: 600 grams N, 300 grams P and 300 grams K.

Irrigation

Guava is commonly grown in rainfed environments. Irrigation is provided at an interval of 20 to 25 days during winter season and 10 to 15 days during summer season by ring method. Apart from that, drip irrigation technique can also be used, which is quite beneficial for Guava as it saves around 60% of water.

Training & Pruning

Training of Guava plants in early stages is important to develop a strong network and to neglect weak crotches. You need to prune fruiting trees to check congestion in the orchard. Also, the Guava plants need to be trained as low headed trees to ease multiple hand pickings. Pruning Guava plants is recommended in spring season or after harvesting. Pruning during summer season should be avoided as the Guava plants may get damaged because of sunburn.

Intercultural Operations

The various intercultural operations in Guava cultivation include weed removal using shallow cultivation and applying green manure during rainy season. The weeds can also be controlled by pre-emergence use of simazine (1.6 kg. /ha.), oryzalin (1.67 litres/ha.), diuron (1.6 kg. /ha.) or atrazine (1.6 kg. /ha.).

Mulching

Mulching can be done using dry leaves or straw. It can also be done using organic materials or black polythene sheets. Mulching the soil two times a year results in moisture conservation and enhanced fruit quality.

Intercropping

Intercropping can be done using leguminous crops and vegetables during the first three years of planting if proper irrigation is available.

Growth Regulators

The winter crop of Guava is much better quality than the monsoon crop. Farmers often minimize monsoon crops by DE blossoming to achieve greater prices. It can be achieved by using growth regulators, such as maleic hydrazide, on spring flush of flowers. Other growth regulators such as NAD, NAA, and 2, 4D are effective in flower thinning and manipulating cropping season.

Protection Measures

Guava plants can be damaged by insects, pests, diseases, and disorders. Several insects, like stem borer, fruit flies, nematodes, bark eating caterpillars, etc., can harm the crop. It can be prevented by spraying malathion (2ml.), phosphamidon (0.5ml. per ltr. of water), monocrotophos, dimethoate etc.

Various diseases can also damage the guava plant, including fruit rot, fruit canker, will, anthrachose, and grey leaf spot. These diseases can be controlled by applying Carbendazim / Thiophanate methyl (1 g./l) or Kavach / Mancozeb (2 g/l) according to the type of infection.

Apart from that, fruit drops are a serious disorder in Guava farming, which can result in around 45 to 65% loss because of environmental and physiological factors. It can be controlled by spraying GA.

Harvesting and Yield

You can expect bearing in Guava plants at an early age of 2 to 3 years. However, the full bearing capacity is achieved at 8 to 10 years of age. The plant yield depends on cropping patterns, age, and cultural practices. You can expect 100 to 150 kg of fruit every year from a 10-year-old plant. If you have taken both winter and rainy season crops, you can expect more yield in the rainy season.

The harvesting of Guava takes place throughout the year (except in May and June) in all parts of the country. However, the peak harvesting time in North India is August for rainy season plants, November to December for winter crops, and March to April for spring season crops. The peak harvesting time is not so distinct in mild climatic conditions in country’s other parts.

Guava fruit develops with the best aroma and flavour when they rip on trees. The stage of fruit ripeness in most commercial varieties is specified by the development of colour, which is normally yellow. For local markets, firm fruits in a fully yellow colour are harvested, and in distant markets, half yellow fruits are harvested. The harvesting process is done selectively by hand with leaves and stalks.

Post Harvest Management

• Grading: Grading of Guava fruits is done according to their size, weight, and colour.
• Storage: The freshly developed Guava fruit has a small shelf life, and distant marketing is done when it is stored properly. The shelf life can be stretched to 20 days by keeping them at 5⁰ C temperature and 75 to 85 percent relative humidity. Guava fruits can also be stored in polybags at room temperature ranging from 18⁰-23⁰ C for 10 days, providing 0.25% ventilation.
• Packing: Packing is done using baskets made from plant material that is available locally. Wooden or corrugated fibre board boxes are used for distant markets along with cushioning materials, such as guava leaves, dry grass, paddy straw, or rough paper. Good ventilation must be provided during packing to keep the build-up heat in check. It is a delicate fruit that requires handling and transportation at the time of harvesting.
• Marketing: Most Guava cultivators sell the harvested fruits through trade agents at village level or commission agents at market.
• Transportation: Guava fruits are transported through trucks or lorries, which is convenient and an easy approach from orchards to the market.

Which are the Top 10 Guava Producing States in India?

As per the data published by APEDA Agri Exchange, the state-wise Guava production in India in 2021-22 is listed below: