Chittidar
Grafted planting material, not true seed. A traditional spotted-skin landrace still grown in old Uttar Pradesh orchards for its hardiness, even where the smoother-skinned Lucknow-49 has taken over new planting.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Guava
- Type
- Planting material
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Bearing from year 2–3 (grafted plant)
- Expected yield
- 130–160 q/ha at full bearing
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- A traditional spotted-skin landrace still grown in older Uttar Pradesh orchards — not a modern ICAR-bred release. Reported (WebSearch-corroborated, not independently confirmed by a fetched primary this pass) among a small group of traditional types CISH Lucknow's own screening work found wilt-tolerant.
About this variety
Chittidar — the name means 'spotted' — is essentially an Allahabad-Safeda-type guava distinguished by numerous pinhead-sized pinkish-red dots covering the fruit's skin, per a directly-fetched Apni Kheti guava page, which also reports its total soluble solids (sugar content) running higher than both Allahabad Safeda and Lucknow-49 among the varieties it compares, though its vitamin C is described elsewhere as lower than Lucknow-49's. CISH Lucknow's own varietal wilt-screening work is reported, consistently across independent WebSearch summaries citing a 'Guava Improvement in India and Future Needs' review, to have found Chittidar wilt-tolerant alongside three other traditional types — Portugal, Seedless and Spear Acid — though the underlying paper itself could not be directly fetched this pass (every ResearchGate attempt failed), so that specific finding is treated as WebSearch-corroborated rather than a cited primary. It matches, and adds detail behind, this record's own diseaseResistance field, which already frames Chittidar as comparatively hardier against wilt than Allahabad Safeda.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
Bearing from year 2–3 (grafted plant)
Expected yield
130–160 q/ha at full bearing
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Distinctive red-dotted skin sets it apart visually from Allahabad Safeda and Lucknow-49 at the same table-fruit size class
- Higher sugar (TSS) content than either Allahabad Safeda or Lucknow-49, per a directly-fetched variety comparison
- Reported wilt tolerance, alongside a small group of other traditional types — consistent with why growers on old wilt-history land keep it rather than replant Allahabad Safeda
Things to consider
- The wilt-tolerance finding for Chittidar traces to CISH Lucknow's own varietal screening work, cited consistently across independent search summaries, but the underlying study itself could not be directly fetched this pass — treated as corroborated-not-confirmed rather than a cited source
- Lower vitamin C than Lucknow-49 per one source, even though its TSS/sugar content is reported higher — a table-quality trade-off worth knowing before choosing between the two on nutrition grounds alone
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
Frequently asked questions
What does 'Chittidar' mean, and why does the fruit look different?
'Chittidar' means spotted — the fruit is essentially Allahabad-Safeda-type guava but covered in numerous small pinkish-red, pinhead-sized dots on the skin, which is where the variety gets its name.
Is Chittidar actually more wilt-tolerant than Allahabad Safeda, or just older stock that got lucky?
CISH Lucknow's own varietal screening work is reported to have found Chittidar — along with three other traditional types (Portugal, Seedless and Spear Acid) — genuinely wilt-tolerant, not just old surviving trees; this matches the tolerance this record's own diseaseResistance field already credits it with.
Sourced from: Guava Farming Information — Apni Kheti. editorial policy.