Características generales de los programas de moratoria crediticia y reestructuración

The guava plant grows symmetrically dome-shaped with broad, spreading, low-branching canopy and a shallow-rooted small tree of 3 to 10 m in height, branching close to the ground and often heavily suckering from the base of the trunk. A single trunk tree is developed by proper pruning and training.

The young guava tree is usually trained 3 to 4 months after field planting. Pruning begins at an early stage of plant growth to develop single trunk trees with well-spaced branches.

Bearing guava need constant training and pruning to provide the desired tree shape for ease of management and for the health of the tree and to maximize fruit production. Larger fruit are primarily produced on vigorous shoots of two to three years of age. Most guava trees, whether propagated from seed or grafts, produce an abundance of suckers which should be removed from the trunk up to 50 cm above ground. A framework of four branches representing four quarters of the tree should be established. The crotch angles between the branches and the main stem should be wide enough to facilitate adequate light penetration and provide physical strength to support fruit load at maturity. A flat tree shape reduces labor for orchard management such as fruit thinning, fruit bagging and harvesting.

Some growers prefer intense pruning immediately after harvest, other growers prefer regular but light pruning of unwanted wood. Since guava bears fruit on new growth from mature wood, it is important to keep a balance between the amount of vegetative growth and mature wood to ensure production the next season, and maintain fruiting regularity. Pruning induces growth of new flushes upon which flowers will be produced.

Branches grown horizontally are more productive than vertical ones.

Since healthy guava trees grow and fruit abundantly, there is always a chance for breakage of branches supporting the heavy loads of fruits. Thinning in the early stages of fruit growth increases the size of remaining fruits, reduces trunk breakage, and promotes regular bearing. Hand thinning is the only applied procedure for organic guava production, since chemical thinning agents are not allowed in this production method.

2.2.8 Pest and Disease Management

Pest Management

A number of pests attack the guava such as the fruit fly, thrips, mealy bugs, scale insects, spider mites, aphids etc.

There are several species of parasitic wasps and predators that keep scale insects and mealy bugs under reasonable control. However, some insects cause damage to guava cul-tivars, in particular thrips and fruit flies. Birds or fruit bats also usually attack mature guava fruit.

Organic pest and disease management prioritizes indirect control methods. Direct control methods are applied with second priority (see chapter 2.1.9).

Disease Management

Some diseases are specific to certain countries and others are widespread where guavas are grown. In many cases, they do not cause economic damage. Anthracnose and Mucor fruit rot are widespread and considered important diseases in most countries. Organic growers first make use of indirect center methods before applying direct control methods.

Fruit rots (Phytophthora parasitica, Botryodiplodia sp., and Dothiorella sp.) and fruit canker (Pestalotia psidii) can be serious pests on rainy season guava crops in humid areas.

Table 6:

Examples of Guava Pests and Organic Control Methods

Pests Important to Know Organically Control Methods

Ceratitis capitata • Flies are attracted to the maturing fruit where 1. Fruit bagging along with thinning 2 month after flowering can significantly reduce the attack (Mediterranean fruit fly), they deposit their eggs 2. Field hygiene

Dacus dorsalis • The eggs hatch and develop within the fruit, – Mass trapping (combination of food baits with organic insecticides, such as Spionosad) (Oriental fruit fly), causing a break down of the fruit tissue – Release of the braconid parasite Diachasmimorpha tryoni and nematodes

Dacus cucurbitae • Cause fruit rot – Sterile insect technology (STI) is not permitted in organic agriculture (melon fruit fly),

Ceratitis rosa (Natal fruit fly), Anastrepha suspensa (Caribbean fruit fly), Anastrepha ludens (Mexican fruit fly)

Selenothrips • Attacks leaf and fruit 3. Natural enemies can keep thrips under fair control

rubrocinctus • Cause silvering of leaves and scarification 4. Resistant cultivars: Allahabad Safeda; for example Ruby x Supreme, Lucknow-49 (Read-banded thrips) of the fruit

• Fruit become mummified

Cosinoptycha • has the potential to produce a population • Use lures containing pheromones. Pheromones.are produced by the female guava moth to attract males improbana explosion for mating. Traps containing these pheromone lures can disrupt the mating ability of the moth (guava moth or fruit

drilling caterpillar)

Indarbela quadrinotata • Attacks bark • Naturally occurring parasites (Bark-eating caterpillar)

Table 7:

Some Guava Diseases and Organic Management

Disease Important to Know Indirect Control Direct Control

Colletotrichum • Small brown to black spots on the fruit; • Adequate drainage; • Spraying with Bordeaux mixture;

gloeosporioides • rotting of ripe fruit mainly in the rainy season;

(Anthracnose)

Botrytis cinerea • Attacks fruit; • Calcium application to guavas largely • Spraying with Bordeaux mixture;

(Blossom end rot) alleviates this disease;

Mucor hiemalis • Water soaked areas on fruit, later covers • Removing fallen fruit from the field at 2-4-day

(Mucor rot) with yellowish mycelina; intervals;

• Commonly associated with fruit-fly oviposition • Crushing under foot during harvest or light

wounds; rolling the orchard floor;

• Low acid, sweet cultivars are more tolerant than acid types;

Fusarium solani • Attack root; • Avoid planning on infected soils;

(Fusarium wilt)

Fruit scab • Affects immature fruits by causing a corky • All preventive measures; • Spraying with Bordeaux mixture;

brown layer all over the fruits;

• This will cause the fruits to be unattractive and unmarketable;

Cephaleuros virescens • Causes rust-like blemishes on the fruit and • Suitable pruning will help to reduce these • Spraying with Bordeaux mixture;

(Algal spots) leaf surface; diseases (ventilation);

• Dark necrotic blemishes are left on the fruit

2.2.9 Harvesting and Post Harvest Handling

In tropical regions, guava is available throughout the year, although not always in the same quantities. Guava fruits are harvested when they change color from green to light green.

Depending on guava cultivar and the growing conditions, it takes about 100 to 150 days from bloom to fruit harvest. Ripe guava fruits measure 4 to 10 cm and weight from 100 to 450 g.

Ripe fruit has a thin greenish-yellow skin and a flesh of vary-ing thickness that may be white, yellow-pink or red. Flavor and aroma vary widely, from low-acid, sweet to low sugar and high-acidity types. Most of the famous cultivars contain numerous small, hard, yellowish-cream colored seeds that are imbedded in the soft pulp (there are a few seedless cultivars).

Where labor is available, young fruit destined for the fresh-fruit market are wrapped with newspaper or bagged in paper when about one and a half months old. This not only protects them from fruit fly attacks, but also improves their color and protects them from abrasion during fruit development. However, bagging promotes conditions for fungal diseases and therefore has to be done with care when dealing with organic guava growths. Plastic bags are not suitable in organic guava production for the same reason.

Harvesting is done manually. Dessert fruit are harvested mature green and carefully handled to avoid injury, graded to size and packed carefully in the carton for shipment.

Processing fruit should be picked at the firm yellow half-ripe stage. Harvesting intervals should not exceed 3 – 4 days or losses from over-ripe fruits occur. Immature guavas do not ripen off the trees; fruits may soften, but never develop abundant color, and typical flavor associated with good eating enjoyment. Over-ripe fruits drop; they should be collected and destroyed rather than left to rot in the field in order to remove sources of new pest and disease infection.

Fruit yields depend upon cultivars, design of the orchard (density) and weather conditions. The yield may start at 10 tons

per hectare in the third year of production and increase to 30 tons per hectare after the tenth year. The average lies around 80-90 kg/tree. Experiences in organic managed guava orchards do not show a significant yield reduction after conversion.

Post-Harvest Handling

Guava is well suited to processing. The sweeter selections are more commonly eaten fresh, while the stronger flavored selections are more commonly used in jam, jelly, paste and other products.

Fresh fruit

Mature green fruit held at 20°C develops fully-yellow skin color in 6-8 days. Fruit packed in polyethylene bags can be stored at temperatures of 8 – 10 °C for 14 days and be 100%

marketable. Ethylene can be used on mature green fruit to accelerate ripening (ethylene for ripening is allowed in organic agriculture).

Guava fruits should be packed in the natural posture (with the pedicel end of the fruit kept upward) in order to retain better quality for longer periods of time. Fruits for the fresh fruit market should be wrapped individually in paper towels and packed in padded layers before shipping or refrigeration. Wrapping of guava fruits suppresses weight loss and preserves glossiness. Storage of wrapped guavas at cool temperatures extends post-harvest life up to 5 weeks, with retention of healthy fruit quality and no signif-icant reduction in nutrient contents; however, fruits stored unwrapped lose moisture and shininess. Desiccation, browning of fruit skin tissue with concomitant loss of flesh firmness, and the high rate of physiological weight loss limit the storage life of guava fruit.

Juice Processing

Fruit for processing should be held at 15°C to allow for gradual ripening. Organic processing requires aseptic methods or hot filling of containers as wells as freezing as a means of preserving the products without the addition of preservatives. Aseptic methods are advantageous as no refrigeration is required.

2.3. Lychee

The lychee is the most renowned of a group of edible fruits from the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is botanically designated Litchi chinensis Sonn. (Nephelium litchi Cambess) and widely known as litchi.

This fruit originates from southern China, where more than 100 varieties are known. Nowadays, it is grown in almost all subtropical regions where the climate and soil is suitable. However, China is the leading center of lychee production.