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Well, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan does own the sweetest and the prettiest face in Bollywood. So, it did not come as a surprise when grafting expert and Padmashree horticulturist Haji Kaleemullah Khan decided to name his new discovery, a sweeter variety of guava after this actress. The fruit resembles an apple in texture and is sweeter in smell and has more pulp with softer seeds.
“The new variety of guava is very different in taste, smell and look from the traditional and normal varieties grown in the country,” Kaleemullah told adding, “It took almost eight years to develop this unique variety of guava and no chemical fertiliser or pesticide was used in developing the same.”
“All measures were taken to ensure that the product is free from any possible side effect which chemical fertilizer or pesticide may have on fruits. One can get as many as 72 fruits on a 3.7 foot long tree”, Kaleemullah said.
In fact, Kaleemullah used Neem Oil as a pesticide to keep this unique guava free of any chemicals. Kaleemullah is known for growing unique variety of fruits especially mangoes. This Lucknow-based agriculturist has no formal qualification in agriculture but has immense knowledge on the subject. In May last year, the 70-year-old Khan grafted a new variety of mango, which he named after batsman Sachin Tendulkar.
“I am a 7th standard dropout and have been looking after the family business since 1957. My family’s record in this business goes back to 150 years. I am more interested in developing different varieties on a single tree and began the multiple grafting process,” he said.
Kaleemullah won the Padmashree for growing more than 300 varieties of mangoes of different shapes and sizes on one tree. The tree is about 100 years old and he started working on it in 1987 to develop the craft of growing different varieties on one tree.