International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is important tropical fruit crop grown throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions. Although it is native to tropical America, its cultivation has spread to all tropical countries, with India being particularly important (Samson, 1980). It is a resilient, prolific bearer, and very profitable fruit crop that may be produced successfully in a variety of soil and climatic conditions. As a result, canopy management aids in achieving high quality and productivity. Now a days, there is a global trend in fruit-producing countries to accommodate the largest number of fruit plants possible by employing canopy management and pruning procedures to regulate tree growth and structure, so limiting tree size while yet ensuring high fruit production of desired quality. Pruning not only helps to encourage new shoots after the harvest but has also been adapted for rejuvenation of orchards along with crop regulation. Canopy management includes training and pruning, rootstock and scions, high density planting system and application of plant growth regulators. Guava bears flowers on current season’s growth. Therefore, a light annual pruning is considered to be essential to boost up new vegetative shoot emergence. The length of flowering shoots tended to decrease with delay in time of pruning but increased with the increasing severity of pruning irrespective of season (Bajpai et al., 1973; Gopikrishna, 1981; Dhaliwal et al., 1998). An increase in shoot length due to severity of pruning might be due to elimination of growing points which in turn encouraged the length of remaining shoots (Dhaliwal et al., 1998). Pruning by heading back encourages new, long, whip-like shoots growth with sparse flowering compared with cutting at fork (Nakasone and Paull, 1998). Canopy Management included, training and pruning of guava trees has been found to improve yield and fruit quality (Mitra and Bose, 1990). The trees should be kept open for better penetration of sunlight leading to more number of shoot and higher yield.