The high-density variety of guava developed by the College of Forestry and Horticulture, Neri near here, has started replacing papaya in the lower reaches of the state.
Earlier, farmers of the region were encouraged to grow papaya and they had cultivated it even in polyhouses in Hamirpur, Bilapsur and Una districts. However, the poor market response and shorter lifespan of the fruit discouraged them from continuing papaya farming.
The Neri college had developed high-yield varieties of papaya that start giving fruit within three years.
College Dean Dr Som Dev Sharma said papaya plants on the college campus had recorded produce of up to 85 kg per tree. He said the yield was even more in some cases and the fruit quality was also very good. But the demand for papaya plants had reduced in the recent past. It might be because of re-plantation and market trend, he added.
“On the other hand, the demand for guava has increased now. The college has developed high density variety of guava plants and is also propagating some imported varieties,” said Sharma. He said guava is a hardy plant, which can grow without much care. The new varieties of guava start bearing fruit in three to four years.
Sharma said these plants could be planted at 2×2 m distance. He said these could be planted in 1×1 m distance as well, but in that case extra labour is required to maintain these plants. A plant could give up to 20 kg of fruit and a farmer could fetch between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh per hectare, he added.