Background:
Guava is native to Central America and is well adapted in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the country. India stands on top in world guava production. As per estimated data during the fiscal year 2023, 5.59 million metric tons of guava were produced in India from 359 thousand hectares area. Guava is a rich source of Vitamin C and Pectin along with Calcium and Phosphorus content. Guava is cultivated from the foothills of the Himalayas to Kanyakumari and from Gujrat to the extreme northeastern region of India. There are more than 400 guava cultivars, but only a few dozen are commercially cultivated. The majority of the present-day guava varieties commercially grown in India suffer from problems like lower fruit yield, higher seed content, hard seeds, poor keeping quality, and susceptibility to insects, pests, and diseases. Changing climatic conditions are likely going to negatively affect guava production by limiting vegetative growth, flowering and fruit set, fruit growth, and fruit quality. Given the fact that guava is an important crop for marginal lands and low input conditions, the availability of superior cultivars may help bring a sizeable area under guava cultivation. Further, cultivars with higher yields and better fruit quality would fetch better returns, and this would substantially contribute to increasing the farmer’s income. Therefore, the development of guava varieties having desirable characteristics viz., high yielding, firm flesh, soft seeds, better fruit quality, and shelf-life is the need of the hour. The availability of soft-seeded, Nutri-rich, and better-keeping cultivars would also increase guava exports to long-distance global and national markets.:
Technology Details:
The Guava variety ‘CISH-Lalit’ is developed by selection from a half-sib population of Apple guava. The variety is heavy bearer (about 20% higher than Apple Guava). Fruits are rounded, medium-sized fruits weighing about 185-225 g with thick pericarp (>1.5 cm). Saffron yellow-colored fruits with red blush, pulp firm, and pink colored and taste sweet with a good blend of sugar and acid. The variety has about 250 mg/100 g of vitamin ‘C’ content. The pink color in the beverage remains stable for more than a year in storage. Variety is also rich in lycopene content ranging from 4.5-6.5 mg/100 g pulp. The variety is suitable both for fresh as well as processing purposes. Variety is highly responsive to pruning and thus suitable for high-density orcharding. It takes 1-2 years to get into the bearing stage and takes 130-150 days from flowering to fruit maturity. It has wider adaptability in different guava-growing regions of the country. Recommended for the entire Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra. It is now a very popular variety in nontraditional areas like Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim etc.