Comparative performance of intercultural tillage operations below the canopy spread on growth and yield of guava

The present study was conducted to evaluate the comparative performance of intercultural tillage operations below the canopy spread on the growth and yield of Psidium guajava L. cv. Lalith at the Regional Horticultural Research and Extension Centre (RHREC), University of Horticultural Sciences, GKVK Campus, Bengaluru. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five tillage treatments and eight replications to assess their influence on soil physical properties, vegetative growth, and fruit yield parameters. The treatments included: T1 (control – no tillage), T2 (tillage once with mini-tiller), T3 (tillage twice with mini-tiller), T4 (zero tillage + mulching), and T5 (tillage once with mini-tiller + mulching). The recorded growth parameters comprised stem girth, plant height, and canopy spread in both north–south and east–west directions. Although statistical analysis indicated a non-significant effect of tillage practices on most growth traits, notable trends were observed. Plants under T4 (zero tillage + mulching) showed the highest percent increase in stem girth, plant height, and canopy spread, followed by T3 (tillage twice with mini-tiller). Similarly, yield parameters such as number of fruits per plant did not differ significantly among treatments. However, T5 (tillage once with mini-tiller + mulching) consistently recorded higher fruit numbers compared to other treatments, indicating a potential synergistic effect of shallow tillage and organic mulching on fruit productivity. Overall, while the differences among treatments were statistically non-significant, the trends observed highlight the role of mulching in enhancing vegetative growth and fruit set in guava under semi-arid conditions. The study suggests that integrating mulching with tillage operations can create a more favourable soil environment, supporting better plant growth and fruit yield in guava under field conditions.