IIHR’s hybrid helps farmers get premium price and higher returns
The ‘Arka Kiran’ Guava F1 Hybrid was developed by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru and yields medium sized round fruits with deep red, firm pulp and with high lycopene content (7.14 mg / 100 g). The hybrid was chosen as a cash crop by G Kranthi Kumar to help become a successful guava grower in his native village in Andhra Pradesh.
Kumar, trained at the research institute for cultivating the hybrid plants, planted 2,000 plants per acre. He planted the plants in 5 acres area in September, 2018 and in another 5 acres in February, 2019 at 2×1 meter distance to create his guava orchard.
The training helped him prepare bio-stimulants such as botanicals, Panchakavya, Dasha kavya, Cow dung slurry, Jeevamurtha and Agnistra for improved growth of the plants and to control pests and diseases.
His yield was a whopping 7 tonnes in the first year and he is expecting 20 tonnes in the second year. The Arka Kiran’s performance in terms of better fruit color, fruit flavor, yield, and is amenable for a high density meadow orchard system. The premium price that it fetches and the higher net returns could be a draw for many growers wanting to diversify their crop pool.
