Abstract
The guava (Psidium guajava L.) is an evergreen fruit species that flourishes in diverse soil types and climates. The long-term productivity and sustainability of guava trees hinge on maintaining a harmonious balance between their vegetative and reproductive phases. Therefore, ensuring adequate nutrient supply and effective canopy management becomes crucial. This study aimed to explore the impact of varying pruning techniques and the age of guava trees (cv. Allahabad Safeda) over two years. Pruning resulted in maximum average length of shoot (11.34 cm), number of flowers per shoot (5.65), fruit set (82.27%), yield (28.57 kg), fruit weight (127.24 gm), Total Soluble Solids (TSS) (10.05 ºBrix), total sugar (6.56) and ascorbic acid (168.48 mg) whereas opposite trend in acidity, initiation of flowering (65.55 days) and flower bud emergence to anthesis (35.00 days) was observed. Intensifying the degree of pruning leads to the highest possible improvement in all parameters including the yield of guava trees. In both years of the study, pruning and age of plants significantly increased the amount of harvestable fruit. The pruning level of 20 cm was reported to be the most effective pruning for higher productivity and better fruit quality in guava. Further, the trees with relatively greater age (11 years old or more) can respond effectively to pruning.
doi: 10.17756/jfcn.2023-s1-056
Citation: Relhan A, Mirza A, Singh R, Singh SK. 2023. Impact of Pruning Levels and Tree Age on the Productivity and Fruit Quality in Guava CV. Allahabad Safeda. J Food Chem Nanotechnol 9(S1): S444-S452.
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