Guava

Contents: 1. Historical perspective. 2. Reproductive biology. 3. Cultivars. 4. Ecological requirement. 5. Nursery management. 6. Establishment of orchard. 7. Improved production systems and management. 8. Crop regulation. 9. Rejuvenation of senile orchards. 10. Nutrient management. 11. Water management. 12. Disease management. 13. Insect management. 14. Post-harvest management. 15. Processing and value addition. 16. Potential for commercial exploitation. Annexures. From the preface: Guava is one of the cherished fruit crops of India. It is considered to be one of the exquisite nutritionally valuable and remunerative fruit. Besides its high nutritive value, it bears heavy crop every year and gives handsome economic returns involving little inputs. But of late this crop has exhibited a paradigm shift in the production system, from subsistence farming to commercial production. The traditional system of cultivation has often posed problems in attaining desired levels of productivity due to large tree canopy. Hence, a need arose to improve the existing production system besides increasing its productivity. The evergreen fruits in general are regarded as not responding to pruning. However a number of observations made in guava has conclusively proved the effectiveness of this important operation in maintaining the sustained fruit yield and keeping the plant well within manageable limits.