Guava (Psidium guajava), the apple of tropics, is one of the most common fruits in East Africa.  Being hardy, it gives an assured crop even with little care, and is good for rainfed areas also.

Climate and Soil

Successful Guava cultivation is grown under tropical and sub-tropical climate. In areas with distinct winter season, the yield tends to increase and quality improves.

It can be grown upto an altitude of 1515 m above mean sea level. Older plants can tolerate drought. High temperature at the time of fruit development can cause fruit drop.

Guava trees are very hardy and can thrive on all types of soils, but are sensitive to water logging. The best soils for guava cultivation are deep, loamy and well drained.

Guava Cultivars

Allahabad Safeda

The fruits are large in size, round in shape, smooth skinned and yellowish white. The flesh is white, firm, soft having pleasant flavor, high soluble solids and vitamin C content. It can withstand drought conditions.

Lucknow – 49 (also known as Sardar Guava)

Its fruits are large, roundish, ovate in shape, skin primrose, yellow and white pulp, very sweet and tasty. The total soluble solids and vitamin C are high. Plant is vigorous.

Guava Planting

The guava planting should be done in pits of 1m x 1m x 1m size filled with mixture of FYM and soil during rainy season or in spring  at a distance of 6 m x 6 m.

Diseases and their Management

SymptomsManagement
Fruit Rot (Phyotophthora nicotianae)The disease starts at the styler end. Whitish cottony mass develops very fast as the fruit starts ripening and covers the entire fruit surface in few days. Humid weather favours the disease. The diseased fruit drops from the tree.Spray the tree with combination of fungicides metalaxyl + mancozeb (250 g/100 L water) or metalaxyl (100 g/100 L water) or fosetyl-al (300g/100 L water) as soon as the disease is observed, repeat sprays at 15 days interval.
Anthracnose/Die Back (Colletotrichum psidii)Symptoms appear on the leaves, twigs, flowers and fruits. Necrotic grey lesions are formed on the leaves, twigs start drying from downwards. Floral infection may lead to mummification or symptoms appear on ripe fruits as circular, slightly sunken lesions with raised margins. Spots coalesce to form corky and hard lesions developing cracks in them. Symptoms on mature fruits appear as pinkish spots with sticky spore mass in the centre.i)   Prune dead twigs, remove mummified fruits hanging on the trees and burn.ii) Spray copper oxychloride (300g/100L water), mancozeb (250 g/100 L water) or captan (300 g/100L water) soon after pruning, repeat spray at 15 days interval after fruit set.

iii) Bury deep in soil the diseased/rotten unmarketable fruits fallen on the ground.

Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.psidii)Browning and wilting of leaves, stem discolouration accompanied by death of the branches on one side. The whole plant, sometimes shows wilting symptoms and finally dies. The causal pathogen may sometimes appear on the stem.i) Prune/uproot the wilted plants and burn.ii) Treat the soil with formaldehyde (1 formaldehyde; 7 water) or gypsum (2 kg/tree) to prevent further spread.

iii) Severe pruning of diseased branches followed by soil drenching with carbendazim (100 g/100 L water) or metalaxyl + mancozeb (250g/100L water) or fosetyl-al (300g/100 L water) at an interval of three months.

Twig Blight and Canker (Cytospora chrysosperma)The diseased plants show sick look, less foliage and blighted appearance. Canker appears on bud scars, wounds, twigs or in crotches. Embossed, globose and cankerous pimples appear on diseased twigs. Bark becomes loose with amber yellow exudates becoming horny on drying. The symptoms are quite pronounced under wet conditions. Stromatic fungal masses appear on the surface of diseased twigs.i) Scratch the dead bark alongwith some healthy portion. Burn the pruned dead twigs and disinfect the wound with Bordeaux paste or copper oxychloride paste.ii)  Spray the treated trees with copper oxychloride (300g/100L water) or carbendazim (100g/100L water or thiophanate methyl 100ml/100L water). Repeat sprays in March and June.

iii) Remove severely infested trees and burn.

Collar Rot (Phytophothora sp., Sclerotium sp, Diplodia sp.)Bark of the plant at collar region turns brown, cracks and some times peels off.Scrap the infected portion along with some healthy area and apply Bordeaux paste or copper oxychloride paste. Drench soil with metalaxyl + mancozeb (250g/100L water) or fostyl-al (100g/100L water).
Withe tip (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides)The disease causes shedding of leaves and withering of tips of branches. On leaves, light green spots appear which later turn brown. Spots usually develop on the tips or margins of leaves. Black dots develop on leaves and twigs with pinkish ooze of spore mass.Prune off the diseased twigs and treat cut ends with Bordeaux paste. Give 1-2 follow up sprays with copper oxychloride (300g/100L water) or carbendazim (100g/100L water) or captan (200g/100L water) or thiophanate methyl (100ml/100L water).

Insect Pest Management

Guava PestsFruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis)

Fruit flies deposit eggs in soft skin of ripening guava fruits. After hatching the maggots feed on the soft pulp as a result fruits start rotting and fall on the ground.

 

Management
i)  Harvest fruits when they are still hard.ii) Collect and destroy all fallen fruits.

iii) Apply bait sprays in rainny seasons at 10-15 days intervals (malathion50 EC 200 ml and gur 1 kg in 100 L water).

Fruit Borers (Virachola Isocrates)(Dichochrosis punctiferalis)

Larvae bore into the fruit and feed on the pulp of the fruit.

Spray dimethoate 30 EC (0.03%) at marble stage of the fruit followed by 2nd spray at 4 weeks interval

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media!

READ ALSO:   Covid-19 Key lessons for Improving the Resilience of Farmers and Entrepreneurs