Abstract
Introduction Guava ( Psidium guajava L .) productivity and fruit quality are frequently constrained by nutrient imbalances during reproductive development, leading to yield losses and physiological disorders such as fruit cracking. Potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) play critical roles in plant physiological regulation and cell wall stability, yet their coordinated effects on yield, fruit quality, and underlying trait relationships in guava remain insufficiently understood. Methods In this study, we evaluated the influence of foliar-applied K and Ca compounds on vegetative growth, leaf nutrient status, fruit yield, quality attributes, and fruit cracking in the high-yielding guava cultivar ‘VNR Bihi’ under subtropical humid conditions. A total of 13 treatments comprising different concentrations of potassium nitrate, potassium sulphate, calcium nitrate, and calcium sulphate, along with an untreated control, were applied at fruit set and one month thereafter. Results Foliar nutrient application significantly enhanced leaf growth, chlorophyll content, and post-treatment leaf K and Ca concentrations compared with the control. Yield parameters responded positively to nutrient supplementation, with potassium nitrate at 2.0% producing the highest fruit yield (41.44 kg tree⁻¹; 27.60 t ha⁻¹), accompanied by marked reductions in fruit drop and cracking. Fruit physical and biochemical quality traits, including fruit weight, total soluble solids, sugars, and ascorbic acid, were also improved by K and Ca treatments. Multivariate analyses revealed clear treatment-wise clustering based on fruit retention, drop, and cracking, while partial least squares regression demonstrated a strong predictive relationship between leaf physiological traits and fruit quality (R 2 = 0.877). Discussion Overall, the results indicate that foliar K and Ca application modulates guava yield and fruit quality through coordinated physiological and nutritional responses, providing a trait-based framework for reducing fruit cracking and enhancing productivity.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar nutrients significantly enhanced guava leaf growth and chlorophyll content compared with control.
- Taxon
- Guava
Psidium guajavat0 - Treatment
- Foliar nutrient applicatione0
- Outcome
- leaf growth, chlorophyll contente0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Foliar nutrient application significantly enhanced leaf growth, chlorophyll content, and post-treatment leaf K and Ca concentrations compared with the control”
t0“guava (Psidium guajava L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Foliar nutrients significantly enhanced post-treatment leaf K and Ca concentrations compared with control.
- Taxon
- guavaPsidium guajavat0
- Treatment
- Foliar nutrient applicatione0
- Outcome
- post-treatment leaf K and Ca concentrationse0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Comparator
- the controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Foliar nutrient application significantly enhanced leaf growth, chlorophyll content, and post-treatment leaf K and Ca concentrations compared with the control”
t0“guava (Psidium guajava L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium nitrate at 2.0% produced the highest guava fruit yield of 41.44 kg per tree.
- Taxon
- guavaPsidium guajavat0
- Treatment
- potassium nitrate at 2.0%e0
- Outcome
- fruit yielde0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- 41.44 kg tree⁻¹e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“potassium nitrate at 2.0% producing the highest fruit yield (41.44 kg tree⁻¹; 27.60 t ha⁻¹)”
t0“guava (Psidium guajava L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium nitrate at 2.0% produced the highest guava fruit yield of 27.60 t per hectare.
- Taxon
- guavaPsidium guajavat0
- Treatment
- potassium nitrate at 2.0%e0
- Outcome
- fruit yielde0
- Direction
- higheste0
- Value
- 27.60 t ha⁻¹e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“potassium nitrate at 2.0% producing the highest fruit yield (41.44 kg tree⁻¹; 27.60 t ha⁻¹)”
t0“guava (Psidium guajava L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Potassium nitrate at 2.0% reduced guava fruit drop and cracking.
- Taxon
- guavaPsidium guajavat0
- Treatment
- potassium nitrate at 2.0%e0
- Outcome
- fruit drop and crackinge0
- Direction
- reductionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“potassium nitrate at 2.0% producing the highest fruit yield (41.44 kg tree⁻¹; 27.60 t ha⁻¹), accompanied by marked reductions in fruit drop and cracking”
t0“guava (Psidium guajava L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
K and Ca treatments improved guava fruit weight and total soluble solids.
- Taxon
- guavaPsidium guajavat0
- Treatment
- K and Ca treatmentse0
- Outcome
- fruit weight, total soluble solidse0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit physical and biochemical quality traits, including fruit weight, total soluble solids, sugars, and ascorbic acid, were also improved by K and Ca treatments”
t0“guava (Psidium guajava L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
K and Ca treatments improved guava fruit sugars and ascorbic acid.
- Taxon
- guavaPsidium guajavat0
- Treatment
- K and Ca treatmentse0
- Outcome
- sugars, and ascorbic acide0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fruit physical and biochemical quality traits, including fruit weight, total soluble solids, sugars, and ascorbic acid, were also improved by K and Ca treatments”
t0“guava (Psidium guajava L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Multivariate analysis clustered treatments by fruit retention, drop and cracking.
- Taxon
- guavaPsidium guajavat0
- Outcome
- treatment-wise clusteringe0
- Value
- fruit retention, drop, and crackinge0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Multivariate analyses revealed clear treatment-wise clustering based on fruit retention, drop, and cracking”
t0“guava (Psidium guajava L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf physiological traits strongly predicted guava fruit quality with R 2 = 0.877.
- Taxon
- guavaPsidium guajavat0
- Organ / stage
- leafe0
- Outcome
- fruit qualitye0
- Value
- R 2 = 0.877e0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“partial least squares regression demonstrated a strong predictive relationship between leaf physiological traits and fruit quality (R 2 = 0.877)”
t0“guava (Psidium guajava L.)”
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