| Guava (payara)
a berry like fruit of any of various myrtaceous trees or shrubs of the
genus Psidium, especially P. guajava (family Myrtaceae).
It originated in tropical America (Mexico to Peru), where it still occurs
in the wild. Guava is often called the "apple of the tropics". The plant
was introduced by the portuguese
to the Indian subcontinent by the early 17th century. Guava stands fifth
in production among the most important fruit crops of Bangladesh and can
be grown all over the country. The annual production is about 45,000 m
tons in an area of about 10,000 ha. The districts of Barisal, Pirojpur,
Jhalokathi, and Chittagong are the main guava producing areas. Some of
the important varieties are known by the name of the places where these
are grown commercially. Thus Swarupkathi is from Barisal, Mukundapuri
from Brahmanbaria and Kanchannagar from Chittagong.
Kazi, introduced from Thailand, is the only standard variety
that has been released by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research
Institute. It produces fruits weighing up to 500 g or even more.
All the other varieties have fruit weights ranging from 100 to
200 g; can be propagated by seed, stem cutting, budding, grafting
and air layering.
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Guava (payara) |
The guava includes about 150 species, but only a few
have horticultural value. Next to the common guava (P. guajava),
the most important species is Cattley Guava (P. cattleianum),
which is also grown commercially. The plant is a shallow rooted shrub
or small tree (3-10m), branching close to the ground and often producing
suckers from the roots. The leaves are opposite, oblong, elliptic and
hairy beneath. Flowers are bisexual, white, and 2.5 cm in diameter, borne
on new growth from mature branches, either singly or in clusters of two
or three. The multiseeded, globose fruits is a fleshy berry.
The plant can be grown in a wide range of soil and climatic
conditions. It is more tolerant to drought and salinity than most tropical
fruit trees. Guava cultivars display a great diversity in tree size, bearing
habit and yield, as well as in fruit size, shape, flesh and skin colour,
taste and flavour, and ripening season. There are three main types of
guava: processing-type cultivars produce strong acidic fruit with coloured
flesh, dessert-types produce less acidic fruits with mostly white flesh
and attractive skin colour, while dual purpose-types produce fruits that
are a compromise between processing and dessert requirements. A seasonal
(July-September) fruit, guava is rich in Vitamin C (200-300 mg/100), carbohydrate,
and protein, and can be eaten fresh or processed for juice, jam, jelly,
and dairy or bakery items. Besides fruits, the young leaves and root bark
are used in local medicines, and wood is used for tool handles and engraving.
[Mamun-ur Rashid and Muhammad Nurul Amin]
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