URICM - UDAYBHANSINHJI - Regional Institute of Cooperative ...

(1,000-2,000 mm); is said to bear more heavily in areas with a distinct winter seasonthan in the deep Tropics.SoilThe guava seems indiscriminate as to soil, doing equally well on heavy clay, marl, lightsand, gravel bars near streams, or on limestone; and tolerating a pH range from 4.5 to9.4. It is somewhat salt-resistant. Good drainage is recommended but guavas are seengrowing spontaneously on land with a high water table–too wet for most other fruittrees.PropagationGuava seeds remain viable for many months. They often germinate in 2 to 3 weeks butmay take as long as 8 weeks. Pretreatment with sulfuric acid, or boiling for 5 minutes,or soaking for 2 weeks, will hasten germination. Seedlings are transplanted when 2 to30 in (5-75 cm) high and set out in the field when 1 or 2 years old. Inasmuch as guavatrees cannot be depended upon to come true from seed, vegetative propagation iswidely practiced.In Hawaii, India and elsewhere, the tree has been grown from root cuttings. Pieces ofany roots except the smallest and the very large, cut into 5 to 10 in (12.5-20 cm)lengths, are placed flat in a prepared bed and covered with 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) of soilwhich must be kept moist. Or one can merely cut through roots in the ground 2 to 3 ft(0.6-0.9 m) away from the tree trunk; the cut ends will sprout and can be dug up andtransplanted.By another method, air-layers of selected clones are allowed to grow 3 to 5 years andare then sawn off close to the ground. Then a ring of bark is removed from each newshoot; root-inducing chemical is applied. Ten days later, the shoots are banked with soilto a height 4 to 5 in (10-12.5 cm) above the ring. After 2 months, the shoots areseparated and planted out.E-URICM 12