Guava (payara) a berry like fruit of any of various myrtaceous trees or shrubs of the genus Psidium, especially P. guajava (family Myrtaceae). It originated in tropical America (Mexico to Peru), where it still occurs in the wild. Guava is often called the "apple of the tropics". The plant was introduced by the portuguese to the Indian subcontinent by the early 17th century. Guava stands fifth in production among the most important fruit crops of Bangladesh and can be grown all over the country. The annual production is about 45,000 m tons in an area of about 10,000 ha. The districts of Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalokathi, and Chittagong are the main guava producing areas. Some of the important varieties are known by the name of the places where these are grown commercially. Thus Swarupkathi is from Barisal, Mukundapuri from Brahmanbaria and Kanchannagar from Chittagong. Kazi, introduced from Thailand, is the only standard variety that has been released by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. It produces fruits weighing up to 500 g or even more. All the other varieties have fruit weights ranging from 100 to 200 g; can be propagated by seed, stem cutting, budding, grafting and air layering.

The guava includes about 150 species, but only a few have horticultural value. Next to the common guava (P. guajava), the most important species is Cattley Guava (P. cattleianum), which is also grown commercially. The plant is a shallow rooted shrub or small tree (3-10m), branching close to the ground and often producing suckers from the roots. The leaves are opposite, oblong, elliptic and hairy beneath. Flowers are bisexual, white, and 2.5 cm in diameter, borne on new growth from mature branches, either singly or in clusters of two or three. The multiseeded, globose fruits is a fleshy berry.

The plant can be grown in a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. It is more tolerant to drought and salinity than most tropical fruit trees. Guava cultivars display a great diversity in tree size, bearing habit and yield, as well as in fruit size, shape, flesh and skin colour, taste and flavour, and ripening season. There are three main types of guava: processing-type cultivars produce strong acidic fruit with coloured flesh, dessert-types produce less acidic fruits with mostly white flesh and attractive skin colour, while dual purpose-types produce fruits that are a compromise between processing and dessert requirements. A seasonal (July-September) fruit, guava is rich in Vitamin C (200-300 mg/100), carbohydrate, and protein, and can be eaten fresh or processed for juice, jam, jelly, and dairy or bakery items. Besides fruits, the young leaves and root bark are used in local medicines, and wood is used for tool handles and engraving. [Mamun-ur Rashid and Muhammad Nurul Amin]