Origin and distribution: Guava is native to the warm regions of the Americas. The place of origin of the guava is uncertain, but it is believed to be an area extending from southern Mexico into or through Central America.

The guava has been cultivated and distributed by man, by birds, and sundry 4-footed animals for so long that its place of origin is uncertain. It is common throughout all warm areas of tropical America and in the West Indies (since 1526), the Bahamas, Bermuda and southern Florida where it was reportedly introduced in 1847 and was grown over more than half of Florida by 1886.

Early Spanish and Portuguese colonizers were quick to carry guava from the New World to the East Indies and Guam. It was soon adopted as a crop in Asia and in warm parts of Africa. Egyptians have grown it for a long time and it may have traveled from Egypt to Palestine. It is occasionally seen in Algeria and on the Mediterranean coast of France. Apparently it did not arrive in Hawaii until the early 1800's. Now it occurs throughout the Pacific islands.

Generally, it is a home fruit tree or planted in small groves, except in India where it is a major commercial resource. A guava research and improvement program was launched by the government of Colombia in 1961.

In 1968, it was estimated that there were about 10 million wild trees (around Santander, Boyaca, Antioquia, Palmira, Buga, Cali and Cartago) bearing 40 kg each per year and that only 10% of the fruit was being utilized in processing. Bogota absorbs 40% of the production and preserved products are exported to markets in Venezuela and Panama.

Although the guava plant was domesticated more than 2,000 years ago, it was not until 1526 when the first commercial cultivation of guava was reported in the Caribbean islands. Spanish explorers took the guava to the Philippines and the Portuguese took it from the Philippines and Malaysia to India. Guava spreads rapidly throughout the tropics and became naturalised to the extent that people in different countries considered guava to be indigenous to their own region. From there it quickly spread to most of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world where it has become naturalized to the point that in certain areas it is considered a noxious weed.

In many parts of the world, the guava grows wild and forms extensive thickets-called "guayabales" in Spanish - and it overruns pastures, fields and roadsides so vigorously in Hawaii, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Fiji, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba and southern Florida that it is classed as a noxious weed subject to eradication. Nevertheless, wild guavas have constituted the bulk of the commercial supply. In 1972, Hawaii processed more than 2,274 MT of guavas, over 90% from wild trees for domestic use and export. During the period of high demand in World War II, the wild guava crop in Cuba was said to be 9,000 MT, and over 6,000 MT of guava products were exported. Guava is one of the leading fruits of Mexico where the annual crop from 14,750 ha of seedling trees totals 175,500 MT. Only in recent years has there been a research program designed to evaluate and select superior types for vegetative propagation and large-scale cultivation.

Malaysia's commercial production of guava started in the mid-80s. Guava is mostly grown in Perak, Johor, Selangor and Pahang for domestic consumption as well as for export to Singapura, Brunei, Hong Kong dan Arab Saudi with export value of RM3 millions in the year 2000.

Brazil's modern guava industry is based on seeds of an Australian selection grown in the botanical garden of the Sao Paulo Railway Company at Tatu. Plantations were developed by Japanese farmers at Itaquera and this has become the leading guava-producing area in Brazil.

In Florida, the first commercial guava planting was established around 1912 in Palma Sola. Others appeared at Punta Gorda and Opalocka. There has always been a steady market for guava products in Florida and the demand has increased in recent years with the influx of Caribbean and Latin American people.

Cultivars & Varieties

Cultivars

'Blitch' (a seedling which originated in West Palm Beach and was planted at Homestead) - is of strong odor, medium size, oval, with light-pink flesh, numerous, small seeds; tart, pleasant flavor; good for jelly.

'Miami Red' and Miami White', large, nearly odorless and thick-fleshed, were released by the University of Miami's Experimental Farm in 1954.

'Patillo' (a seedling selection at DeLand propagated by a root sucker and from that by air-layer and planted at Homestead) - of very mild odor, medium size, ovate to obovate, with pink flesh, moderate number of small seeds; subacid, agreeable flavor; good for general cooking. (As grown in Hawaii it is highly acid and best used for processing).

'Redland' is v ery large, with little odor, white-fleshed and with relatively few seeds. Because of its excessively mild flavor, low ascorbic acid content, and susceptibility to algal spotting, it was abandoned in favor of better selections.

'Red Indian', of strong odor, medium to large size, round but slightly flattened at the base and apex, yellow skin often with pink blush; with medium thick, red flesh of sweet flavor; numerous but small seeds; agreeable for eating fresh; fairly productive in fall and early winter.

'Ruby' , with pungent odor, medium to large size; ovate; with thick, red flesh, sweet flavor, relatively few seeds is an excellent guava for eating fresh and for canning; fairly productive, mainly in fall and early winter.

"Ruby Supereme" guava		"Apple Colour" guava

'Supreme' came next, of faint odor, thick, white flesh, relatively few, small seeds, high ascorbic acid content and ability to produce heavy crops over a period of 8 months from late fall to early spring.

Early California cultivars are:

'Hart', fairly large, with pale-yellow flesh, and 8% sugar content.
'Rolfs', is of medium size with pink flesh; of good quality and containing 9% sugar.
'Webber' (formerly 'Riverside'), is of medium-large size, pale-yellowish flesh, good flavor and 9.5% sugar.

Common Indian (white-fleshed cultivars) guavas are the following:

'Allahabad' is large, white-fleshed, with few, medium-sized, fairly hard seeds.

'Apple Colour' - of medium size, slightly oblate; deep-pink skin, creamy-white flesh, moderate amount of seeds, very sweet flavor (0.34-2.12% acid, 9 to 11.36% sugar); heavy bearer; good keeping quality; good for canning.

'Behat Coconut' - is large, with thick white flesh, few seeds; poor for canning.

'Chittidar' - medium to large, round-ovate, white-fleshed, mild acid-sweet flavor; bears moderately well; keeps well; good for canning.

'Habshi' - is of medium size with thick, white flesh, few seeds; halves good for canning.

'Karela' is medium-large, pear-shaped, furrowed, rough-skinned, with soft, granular white flesh; sweet, rich, pleasant flavor, poor bearer. Not popular.

'Lucknow 42' - of medium size, roundish, with creamy-white, soft flesh; sweet, pleasant flavor; very few seeds; good quality; bears heavily; keeps fairly well; not suitable for canning.

'Lucknow 49' - medium-large with cream-white, thick flesh, few seeds; acid-sweet; good quality; heavy bearer; high in pectin and good for jelly; halves good for canning.

'Nagpur Seedless' is small to medium, often irregular in shape; white-fleshed.

Psidium cujavillis Burm originates from the tropical America. The characteristics of growth, flowering, leaf development, fruit and plant cytology are quite similar to that of P. guineense. The fruit is small globose, ovoid-shaped with white flesh and sour in taste.

Psidium friedrichsthalianum (Berg) Nied This species originates from Central America. It is also known as "Costa Rican" guava or "Cas" in Costa Rica. Tree size is small to medium with drooping stem and branches. The bark is smooth, dark brown in color and shiny.The leaves are obate, dark green, shiny and covered with tiny hairs. Flowers are small and scented. The fruit is small, globse-shaped to oval and yellowish in color with thin peel. Its flesh is soft and white.

Psidium fluviatile Rich comes from Brazil and Guyana. The tree is a dwarf or small shrub planted only in certain areas for fresh consumption by the local people.

Psidium guineense Sw originates from the dry highland of Brazil as such it is known as "Brazil guava" or nicknamed as "Arace Do Campo". The tree is small and drooping. Leaves are obate, long and oval in shape, not tapered and pale green in color. The fruitis ovoid and small in size filled with tiny seeds.

Psidium guayabe Rich grows wild in West Cuba bearing small edible fruits which are regarded valueless nutritionally.

Psidium littorale Raddi var. littorale Bailey This species also originates from Brazil and commonly known as "Yellow Cattley" or "Chinese guava". The tree is spready and ugly in shape. The fruit is slightly bigger, yellowish and sweeter but unpleasant to taste. The leaves are pale green.

Psidium littorale Raddi var. longipes (Berg) Fosb This species comes from Brazil and commonly known as "Cattley Red" or "Strawberry guava" The tree is small with smooth pinkish grey bark and the branches are small and cylindrical. Small shiny leaves, smooth and dark purplish red in color. The round fruit is small, seedy with thin peel whilst the flesh is whitish, sweet and aromatic. The flesh is used for making custard, ice cream, drinks, jelly and wine.

Psidium microphyllum Britton originates from West Indies. Small tree, planted in Puerto Rico for its small scented and sour fruits for processing into jelly.

Psidium montanum Sw. originates from the mountains of Jamaica.The branches are quadrangular and small, oval shaped leaves without hairs, tapering towards the leaf tips with multiple flowers per cyme. The fruit is globose or almost globose in shape.

Psidium policarpum Lamb Originates from tropical America.The fruit is pyriform-shaped, one to three fruits per cyme which is similar to Psidium guajava in growth and leaf characteristics.

'Safeda' is of medium size, with very thin skin, thick, white flesh, few seeds and outstanding quality for canning. A famous guava, widely planted, but susceptible to wilt and branches are brittle and break readily.

'Smooth Green' - of medium size, with thick white flesh, few, small, hard seeds. Halves are firm, good for canning.

'Seedless' (from Allahabad) is medium to large, pear-shaped to ovoid; with thick white flesh, firm to soft, sweet. Light bearer; poor keeper.

Other white-fleshed guavas with poor canning qualities are:

'Dharwar', 'Mirzapuri', 'Nasik', 'Sindh', and 'White Supreme X Ruby'.

Red-fleshed cultivars popularly grown in India are:

'Anakapalle' is small, with thin, red flesh, many seeds; not suitable for canning.

'Florida Seedling' is small, with thin, red, acid flesh; many seeds; not suitable for canning.

'Hapi' is medium to large, with red flesh.

'Hybrid Red Supreme' is large, with thin, red, acid flesh; moderate amount of seeds; not suitable for canning.

'Kothrud' is of medium size with medium thick, red flesh; moderate amount of seeds; not suitable for canning.

'Red-fleshed' is of medium size with many (about 567) fairly soft seeds; high in pectin and good for jelly; not suitable for canning.

Among other red-fleshed Indian cultivars are :

'Banaras', 'Dholka', 'Hasijka', 'Kaffree', and 'Wickramasekara' (small fruit and poor bearer).

In Egypt, a cultivar named 'Bassateen El Sabahia' has long been the standard commercial guava. In 1975 'Bassateen Edfina' producing pear-shaped fruit, of medium size, sometimes pink-blushed, with thick, white flesh, few seeds, good flavor and higher ascorbic acid content than the parent was introduced for commercial planting. It bears well over a long season.

In Puerto Rico, over 100 promising selections were under observation in 1963.

Numerous cultivated clones identified and evaluated for processing characters. Others have been tested and rated for resistance to Glomerella disease. Among the few named cultivars are 'Corozal Mixta', 'Corriente', and 'Seedling 57-6-79'.

Meanwhile the large, white-fleshed type known as 'Cayenne' was identified for planting in Trinidad.

Other cultivars are also grown in Puerto Rico, namely:

'Elisabeth' is large, round, pink-fleshed, very acid; good for processing.

'Red' X 'Supreme' X 'Ruby' is large, ovoid, with deep-pink flesh; agreeable for eating fresh.

'Large White' is large, round, white-fleshed; low sugar content, astringent; can be useful as filler in preserves.

'Acid Speer' is large, round, with pale-yellow flesh; acid; recommended only as source of pectin.

'Red' X 'Supreme' X 'Ruby' X 'White' is large to very large, pear-shaped, with creamy-white flesh; good for eating fresh and for juice and nectar.

'Pink Indian' is of medium size, red-fleshed; agreeably acid; good for eating fresh and for processing.

'Red Hybrid' is medium, sub-ovoid, red-fleshed; medium quality.

'Supreme' X 'Ruby' is medium, sub-ovoid, white-fleshed; unremarkable except for high productivity.

'Stone' is small, ovoid, with deep-pink flesh; attractive and of agreeable flavor for eating fresh.

'Supreme' is small, ovoid, with pale-yellow, pink-tinged flesh; sweet; good for sherbet and paste; very productive.

'Patricia' is very small, ovoid, salmon-fleshed; attractive; good to eat fresh but quickly loses its distinct strawberry flavor; good for sirup; very productive.

In Colombia, the cultivars grown are 'Puerto Rico', 'Rojo Africano', and 'Agrio'; all yield over 2,200 fruits annually. Other high-yielding cultivars being evaluated are 'White', 'Red', 'D-13', 'D-14', and 'Trujillo 2'.

Between 1948 and 1969, 21 guava cultivars from 7 countries were introduced into Hawaii. Some have been test planted and evaluated at the Waimanalo Experimental Farm. Four sweet, white-fleshed, thick-walled cultivars were rated as commercially desirable: 'Indonesian White', 'Indonesian Seedless', 'Lucknow 49', and 'No. 6363' (a 'Ruby' X 'Supreme' hybrid from Florida). Lower ratings were given four others of this group: 'Apple' (too musky and seedy); 'Allahabad Safeda' (too bumpy of surface); 'Burma' (too seedy) and 'Hong Kong White' (too seedy). Of the sweet, pink-fleshed, thick-walled cultivars examined, 'Hong Kong Pink' was preferred. Second choice was 'No. 6362' (a seedling of a 'Ruby' X' Supreme' cross in Florida). 'No. 7199', a seedling of a 'Stone Acid' X 'Ruby' cross in Florida, was considered too musky.

Among acid, non-musky, thick-walled guavas, 'Beaumont', a Hawaiian selection, is large and pink-fleshed. 'Pink Acid' (#7198), from a Florida cross of 'Speer' and 'Stone Acid', has dark-pink flesh and few seeds. These cultivars are employed in breeding programs in Hawaii. In 1978, a new cultivar, 'Ka Hua Kula', selected from 1,200 seedlings of 'Beaumont', was released and recommended for commercial guava puree. The fruit is large, with thick, deep-pink flesh, and fewer seeds than 'Beaumont', and is less acid. It is also a heavier bearer.

		Psidium guajava 'Thai Maroon'

In Malaysia, the following varieties are commercially planted:

Kampuchea: This seeded high-yielding clone is extensively grown here. It begins fruiting very early about 6-9 months after planting out in the field yielding 60 tonnes/ha at the peak of the production period.There are 2-3 flowering and fruit production peaks in year. The tree is medium in height with large flat ovate leaves of 12 cm x 6.5 cm size with smooth leaf margin. The fruit is roundish pear-shaped weighing about 400-600 g each but sometimes can weigh as much one kilogram per fruit. The skin color of the fruit is light yellow, smooth with inconspicuous dent at fruit stalk. The flesh is white, thick, crunchy and sweet with TSS of 6.5-7°Brix containing 55 mg ascorbic acid (vitamin C) /100 g of edible flesh. The fruit contains few seeds which is excellent as a dessert, juicing and even for canning. This clone is resistant to root nematodes, anthracnose and Phomopsis psidii (end ring rot).

Taiwan: The fruit is large and pear-shaped. There a deep recess where the fruit is attached to the stalk. Each fruit weighs about 300-500g. The flesh is white, thicker than the Kampuchea guava, sweet-sour taste, crunchy and enclosed by a rough peel. The fruit contains very few seeds and good keeping quality. The tree is resistant to anthracnose, end ring rot and root nematodes.

Glom Toon Klau: The tree begings to bear fruits 10-12 months after field transplanting. The yield is medium to high of about 40-50 tonnes fruit/ha/year during peak periods (2-3/year). The fruit is roundish tapering slightly towards the stalk, rough-skinned, slightly dented where the fruit is joined to the fruit. Each fruit weighs about 400-500g, white-fleshed, sweet, crunchy, large core with few seeds and TSS of 8-10°Brix. The shelf life of fruit is short around 2-4 days only.

Glom Sali: The tree is spreading and short to medium in height. The yield is about the same as Kampuchea guava. The green leaves are oblong with 15-18 pairs of lateral veins which are prominent on the lower surface. Leaf margins are smooth and slightly wavy. The fruit is roundish (globose) with a rough skin, light green when firm ripe and weighs about 200-400g. The fruit has characteristic prominent ridges at the stalk end that is often grooved. The calyx falls off the ripe fruit. The flesh is thick, white, crunchy, and sweet and has a pleasant flavor and distinct aroma. The seed cavity is small and contains few to moderate number of seeds. The TSS content is 6-7°Brix. The clone is susseptible to anthracnose.

Thai Seedless: This seddless clone has a low yield of around 20 - 25 tons/ha/yr because flower and fruit drop can reach more than 50%. It fruits 14-18 months after planting and has one peak production. The fruit weighs 150-300 g. The fruit is round but asymmetrical. Within the fruit, there is a hollow cavity that can reach one third the length of the fruit. It has a smooth, green and thin skin. The fklesh is white, crunchy and sweet.

Bangkok Apple: This seedless triploid clone bears fruit about 10 months after planting. It suffers from more tnan 50% fruit abortion and yields around 15-20 tons fruit/ha/year at peak production. The tree is short to medium in height and has large, dark green leaves with a simple but wavy leaf margin. The leaves are ovate and have 25-27 lateral veins that are distinct on the lower surface.The fruit is apple-shaped, round (globose) or slightly flattened at the ends (oblate), often ridged, misshapen, and asymmetrical. The fruit weighs around 100-250 g. When firm ripe the skin color turns light greenand the flesh is white with a very faint tinge of pink. It is crunchy with a hollow carpellary cavity instead of a seed core. The total soluble solid content is 10-11°Brix. The clone is susceptible to anthracnose and root knot nematode. It is excellent dessert fruit.

MAHA 65 (GU5): It is a medium size tree ans has a longer period of fruiting. The fruit is large and weighs 220-250g. It is round to oblong, has a smooth skin, with pinlish-red, soft flesh and lots of seed. The fruit is sweet-acid and has a grainy texture because of the presence of stone cells. This clone is suitable for processing.

Beaumont: This clone was imported from Hawaii. It was selected from a seedling population derived from fruits found in Halemanu, Oahu, Hawaii. The tree is vigorous and spreading and yields 24 tons fruit/ha/year. The fruit is medium to large, oblong to roundish in shape, mildly acidic in flavor and weighs 230-250g. The TSS content is 9.9°Brix. The flesh is pink, mildly acidic and seedy. The pulp in the locule has a tendency to be loose, causing puffiness. The fruit appears to be susceptible to fruit rot. The clone is suitable for processing with a puree recovery of 77-79%.

Burma Red: This processing cultivar is believed to be imported from Myanmar and is not widely cultivated. It is a medium size, spreading tree that flowers and fruits profusely. It has a short fruit- ripening period of 2-3 weeks. It produces round fruit that weighs 150-200 g with smoothy skin. The fruit has pink flesh that is sweet-acid and moderately seedy. It begins fruiting at 10-12 months after planting. The maximum yield attained at 3-4 years is 30-35 tons per hectare with two peak seasons a year.

"Kampuchea"		"Glom Sali"		"Thai Seedless"
"Bangkok Apple"		"MAHA 65"		"Burma Red"

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