Cultivation of Annonas

By Tulsi Ram Jangid

1. Annona’s Annona’s

2. Annonas - Annona squamosa Family- Annonaceae Origin- Tropical America Chromosome no. 2n= 14 Fruit type- Berry Edible part- Pericarp Synonyms: Custard Apple, Sugar Apple, Sitaphal , Sweetsop, Noina , etc.

3. INTRODUCTION: Custard apple are delicious fruits and are used when they are full ripe. Pleasant flavor mild aroma and sweet taste have a universal acceptance. Cultivation of custard apple is prevalent in Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, India. In India custard apple is under cultivation throughout the southern part and in Assam, Bihar, AP, MP, UP , MH.

4. COMPOSITION AND USES: The large aggregate fruits are composed of peel, pulp, seeds. Fruits contain 45% edible portion , 100gm of which composition 70.5gm moisture, 23.5gm carbohydrates, 1.6gm protien , 0.4gm fat. Which is also rich in minerals those are calcium 17mg, 45mg of phosphorous, vitamin-a 37mg and gives 104 k cal of energy. Custard Apple contains sugar-20-25%.

5. USES: Fruits are used mainly for fresh consumption. Custard apple is the “ fruit of poor people ” . Pulp is used in ice creams and puddings. Products such as jam, jelly, squash, syrup, nectar, canned product and a fermented alcoholic beverage. Fruits, seeds, leaves and roots of custard apple are valued for their medicinal properties.

6. As well as used both in Ayurvedic and yunani systems. Seeds containing 30% oil which is extracted and used in soap and paint industries. Leaves are used for preparation of blue or black dyes. Seeds are used for abortifacient and roots are drastic purgative agent. Seeds, leaves ,young raw fruits are used for making insecticides and lice killers.

7. AREA AND PRODUCTION: The custard apples are mainly growing in tropical parts of America, Australia, brazil, Egypt and some parts of India. Andhra Pradesh is the major fruit growing state in India and following by MH, UP, Bihar, Assam. The Area having 53,000ha and production is 2.5ton fruit yield/ha.

8. BOTANY: Growth of the plants are shrubs or small trees growing up to 5 to 6m. leaves are alternate simple and entire. Flowers are born either singly or in small groups, yellowish green and hermaphrodite and protogynous and having auxiliary bearing habit. Fruits are heart shaped, fleshy syncarp formed by the fusion of the pistils and receptacle, pericarp is the edible part. Custard like edible pulp. Pollination is mainly by insects i.e. cross pollination.

9. SPECIES AND VARIETIES: Custard apple belongs to family annonaceae , this family includes 40 genera and genus annona has got 120 sps out of which 7 have commercial significance.

10. Annona squamosa (custard apple, sugar apple, sweetsop, Ate) : Having good quality. The fruits develop from loosely cohering carpel's forming a squamose or tuberculeted surface. The pulp around the seeds is very sweet and pleasantly flavoured.

11. 2. Annona cherimola ( Lakshmanphal cherimoya) : Cherimoya is one of the finest subtropical fruits. It is the best annonaceous fruit because its acidic sweet flavoured and low seed content. It is however not suitable for tropical climate. Based on the fruits form 5 cultivars are there Finger printed Smooth Tuberculeted Mannilate Umbonate .

12. 3. Annona reticulata (bullocks heart, Ramphal ) : The fruits are heart shaped, nearly smooth and contain for seeds. The fruits quality is poor because of lower sugar content of the pulp. It is a tropical fruit not grown in commercially in India.

13. 4. Annona muricata (sour soap, mundlasitaphal ) : It is an evergreen tropical tree, within grows in AP, Assam. Its large heart shaped fruits. The pulp is sour due to the presence of high acidity.

14. 5. Annona diversifolia ( ilama ) : The fruits resembles sugar apple. Best cultivar of custard apple.

15. 6. Annona glabra (pond apple , monkey apple) : Swamp loving ornamental plan. Useful in breeding for the drought tolerance and colored flesh.

16. 7. Annona atemoya ( Hanumanphal ) : Hybrid between the Annona squamosa X Annona cherimola . High yielding spp. Is known for quality fruits but low productive variety. Tolerant to more cold.

17. CLIMATE: I t requires a tropical or subtropical climate with summer temperatures from 25   °C (77   °F) to 41   °C (106   °F), and mean winter temperatures above 15   °C (59   °F).   It is only moderately drought-tolerant, requiring at least 700   mm of annual rainfall, and will not produce fruit well during droughts. SOIL: Prefers a moist but well-drained, sandy loam with a pH around 6.

18. CULTIVARS: BALANAGAR: Green skinned fruits with medium size. High yielding. BRITISH GUINEA: Fruit weight is about 151gm and 37.9% pulp. 17.9% total sugar. MAMMOTH: Fruit weight about 183g/ fruit. TSS content: 23%, acidity 0.19%. Good quality fruit. BARBADOS SEEDLING: Fruits having high sugar content. Fruits having green rind, orange yellow margins. Late season variety.

19. RED SITAPHAL: This variety originated as a chance seedling. Fruits are dark pinkish. Having average quality and more number of seeds. KAKARLAPAHAD: Very high yielding variety. It is very sweet and crispy in nature. APK (Ca) 1: Released from RRS, Aruppukottai , TN during 2003. Yield- 14.9kg/tree. Fruits are medium in size, heart shaped and TSS 24.5* Brix . Washinghton Mahaboobnagar

20. HYBRIDS: Arkasahan: Annona atemoya X A. squamosa Released from IIHR, Bangalore. Suitable for drought prone areas. Fruits having long shelf life and slow ripening character. African pride: Cherimoya X custard apple Having good quality fruits. TROPICAL SUN : Recently released variety. Released from Australian Custard apple growers association(ACAGA). Suitable for home gardens. Ripening at room temperature.

21. PLANTING: The custard apple fruits are planting in the square or triangular systems. After 1 or 2 rains the saplings are planted in the centre of the pit. Time of planting : During June-July. Pit size 60 X 60 X 60 cm Spacing 4 X 4 m or 5 X 5 m or 6 X 6 m

22. MANURE AND FERTILIZER: Application of nutrients to custard apple depends upon the soil and climatic conditions. Custard apple trees are well response to fertilizer application in terms of increased vigour , production. Age of tree(year) N (kg/ha.) P (kg/ha.) K (kg/ha.) 1-2 year 75 50 50 3-5 year 150 100 100 > 5 year 250 125 125

23. PROPAGATION: Propagated by both seeds and vegetative propagation. Seed propagation: Seeds extracted from ripe fruits are used for sowing. Viability of seeds lasts for 3-4 years through best seeds give best germination. Before seed sowing seeds are treated, such as seeds soaking in cold water for 40-70hours are treatment with GA3(500ppm), improve the germination rate.

24. 2. Vegetative propagation: Grafting: In-situ cleft grafting is used, using the best root stock are Annona cherimola and Annona squamosa . Budding: Patch, Shield and Clip budding.

25. TRAINING AND PRUNING: Strong tree frame work in custard apple is obtained by training young plants during the initial stages of growth. Keeping single stem up to 50 – 70 cm height and then inducing scaffold branches in all directions makes good frame work of tree. To avoid crowding, proper space among the branches is maintained by removing criss - cross and over lapping branches. Custard apple generally bears on the new growth but sometimes fruiting also comes on old branches. Therefore, suitable combination of young and old branches should be maintained by judicious pruning and which balancing the vegetative and reproductive growth.

26. FLOWERING AND FRUITSET: Plants starts bearing after 3-4 years. Flowering period commences from March-April and continuous to July – August, the peak timing April and May. Very low fruit set in custard apple is a problem under natural conditions, 1 – 8% fruit set is reported. The main reason being poor pollination due to various external and internal factors like dichogamy , hypogyny.

27. The external factors like high and low humidity prevailing at the time of flowering, soil moisture stress. Hand pollination can be practiced to increase fruit set to get better sized fruit and ensure better market price. Fruits can be improved by application of growth regulators, GA (50ppm) at blooming stage, Biocil (1ml/ litre ) just prior to flowering.

28. HARVESTING AND POSTHARVEST MANAGEMENT: Custard apple is a climacteric fruit, which ripens after harvesting hence should be harvested at matured stage. Fruits mature in about 100 -120 days from anthesis . Maturity indices: Changing fruit colour in to light green. Fruits has attained full size. Yellowish white colour has been developed between the segments. Initial cracking in carpels .

29. Post-harvest management: Fruit has very poor shelf life therefore for distant markets. Harvesting comparatively harder fruits is advised. Fruits harvested before proper maturity do not ripe well and remain less sweet. Arkasahana has better shelf life. YIELD: A well-managed grown up custard apple plant can produce 80- 100 fruits/ tree. Arkasahana hybrid produces 25tonnes fruits/ ha. Older trees rarely exceed 100 fruits/ tree unless hand pollination.

30. INSECT: 1. Mealy bugs: Planococcus pacificus T he pest has been noticed in harbouring on young shoots and in between the fruit segments. The blemished fruits do not fetch premium in the market. To control the meal bug, spray the plantation with 0.05% dichlorvos . 2. Annona Seed Borer: Bephratilloides cubensis

31. DISEASE: 1. Anthracnnose : It is caused due to Glomeralla cingulata . The disease is at Udaipur. The disease can be controlled by three fortnightly sprays of benlate (0.05%) or bavistin (0.05%) as soon as the symptoms appear. 2. Leaf spot: It is caused by Alternaria sp. The disease appears in Nov. at the far end of harvesting, thus cause considerable loss in production. The affected leaves drop prematurely. British Guinea and Red Sitaphal are moderately susceptible to this disease. The disease can be controlled by three fortnightly sprays of benlate (0.05%) or bavistin (0.05%) as soon as the symptoms appear.

32. Thank you