STANDARDIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION FOR ENHANCED PROPAGATION OF RED PULP GUAVA (PSIDIUM GUAJAVA L.) HYBRIDS

Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a tropical fruit widely cultivated for its nutritional value, rich flavor and versatility in food products.Among its various cultivars, red pulp guavas like Arka Kiran, Punjab Pink and Punjab Bold are gaining attention due to their distinct color, taste and high antioxidant content.Successful propagation of these hybrids is crucial for enhancing their yield and quality.The present study aimed to standardize propagation environmental conditions for softwood grafting in red pulp guava hybrids, including Arka Kiran, Punjab Pink, and Punjab Bold under three different environmental conditions: polyhouse, shadenet and open field.The experiment was conducted using a two-factorial completely randomized design with nine treatments replicated three times.The results indicated that Arka Kiran, when placed under polyhouse conditions, exhibited the best performance, with the shortest number of days for first sprouting (8.34 days), the highest number of sprouts per graft (4.40), the longest length of sprouted shoot (7.43 cm), the maximum number of leaves per graft (18.27), and the highest graft success (94.10%) and survivability (89.92%).Whereas, Arka Kiran under open condition resulted in the highest total chlorophyll content (63.00 SCMR) and stomatal conductance (391.80 mmol ms -), followed by Punjab Pink under similar conditions.These findings suggest that the polyhouse environment is most favourable for the propagation of red pulp guava hybrids.