Deficit irrigation scheduling with mulching and yield prediction of guava (Psidium guajava L.) in a subtropical humid region

Drip irrigation and mulching are often used to alleviate the problem of poor water management in many crops; however, these technologies have not yet been tested for applying at critical stages guava orchard growth subtropical humid Tarai regions India improve yield quality. A field experiment was conducted over 2020 2021 which included three strategies: severe deficit (DI 50 ), moderate 75 full (FI 100 as well four methods: silver-black mulch (M SB black B organic OM a control without WM ). The results showed that both relative leaf content (RLWC) proline exhibited an increasing trend with decrease regime, resulting 123% increase under DI conditions compared FI , while greater plant recorded fully irrigated plants using mulch. Leaf nutrient analysis M produced significantly higher concentrations all nutrients. However, ) along numbers fruits per plant, average fruit weights, yields, maximum ascorbic acid contents. productivity (IWP) decreased regime; from irrigation, 33.79% improvement IWP . Regression outperforms principal component regression prediction, adjusted R 2 = 89.80%, RMSE 1.91, MAE 1.52, MAPE 3.83. most important traits affecting guava, based on stepwise regression, were proline, Cu, weight, IWP.