The custard apple which is popularly known as sugar apple and sweet sop is a native of West Indies and tropical America. It is grown in a wild form in many parts of the world. The custard apple tree can reach up to a height of 4 to 7 metres and the structure of the leaves is thin and oblong. However, the flowers are greenish to yellow. The fruit is spherical through conical with a usual weight of about 125 to 250 grams.
The fruit is 7 to 9 cm long and has a diameter of 6 to 10 cm. Custard apple has knobby segments with a flesh of fragrant and sweet, creamy white. The flesh the fruit resembles custard. Based on the variety each fruit can have up to 20-30 black seeds. The colour of the root varies from pale green to deep green.
During the early stages, custard apples are hard in nature. Custard apples can be eaten fresh and its pulp is used in sweets like ice cream, smoothies, cakes, fruit salads etc. Along with great nutritious value, custard apples come with good health benefits. This tree’s leaves, root, seeds and unripe fruits have medicinal values as well. Many hybrid varieties of custard apples have been developed in Asian countries. Since this fruit has an excellent seasonal demand, the cultivation of custard apple is growing annually.
Custard Apple ( Annuna squmos L.) is one of the finest fruits introduced in India from tropical America. It is also found in wild form in many parts of India. It is cultivated in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, and Tamil Nadu. Besides India, it is common in China, Phillippines, Egypt and Central Africa.
Importance
It is very hardy, medium in growth and decidious in nature. The fruits are generally used as fresh, while some products or mixed fruits like custard powders, ice-creams are prepared from the fruits. Besides high nutritive value, it has also a high medicinal value. Unripe fruits, seeds, leaves and roots are considered and used in medicinal preparations.
Planting and Season
Planting is done during rainy season. The pits of 60x60x60 cm at spacing 4×4 or 5×5 or 6×6 depending on soil type are dug prior to monsoon and filled with a good quality FYM, single super phosphate and neem or Karanj cake under dry conditions and with drip irrigation system planting at 6×4 meters has given good growth and better fruit setting.
Soil
The Custard Apple is not very particular about soil conditions and flourishes in all types of soils like shallow, sandy, but fails to grow if the subsoil is ill drained. It can grow well in deep black soils provided they are well drained. A little salinity or acidity does not affect it but alkalinity, chlorine, poor drainage or marshy-wet lands hamper the growth and fruiting.
Varieties of custured apple
The following are some of the varieties grown in different agro-climatic
regions of the country.
- Red Sitaphal
- Balanagar
- Hybrid
- Washington
- Purandhar (Pune)
- NMK1 and NMK 2
Propagation
The annonas are commonly propagated by seeds. Recently some researchers have developed some techniques in vegetative methods and budding can be adopted for multiplication. The seedlings of local custard apple have proved a good root stock for many improved varieties and hybrids. Seeds treated with 100 ppm for 24 hours germinate quickly and uniformly.
Harvesting and yield
The Custard apple is a climacteric fruit and harvested at the maturity state when the fruit starts to change colour from green to its varietal colour shade. Immature fruits do not ripe. Swallowing some apical buds – showing inner pulp is also an indication of maturity. A were grown tree yield above 100 fruits weighing 300 to 400 gm. The season of harvest is from August to October.
Inter culturing
For good plant growth, the weeding should be done to keep away the weeds. Inter cropping with some legumes, peas, beans and merigold flowers are commonly taken by the growers. Normally, no crop is taken during winter as the plants go under rest.
Irrigation
In general, Custard apple is grown as a rainfed crop, and no irrigation given. However, for early and bumper harvest of the crop. Irrigation on flowering i.e. from May should be given till regular monsoon starts. For better flowering and fruit setting, mist sprinkling is better over flood or drip system of irrigation as it keeps to lower down the temperatures and to increase in the relative humidity.
Nutrition
Generally, no manures or fertilizers are applied to rainfed crop. However, for early and bumper harvest with a good keeping quality, the following dose is recommended to a fully grown tree. Biomeal …. 10 kg, 5:10:5 1 Kg. Ormichem micronutrient mixture 0.250 kg at the time of flowering and another dose of 10:26:26 or 19: 19: 19 mixture after fruit setting. Foliar spray with 8:12:24:4 10 gm/lt, twice during fruit development. Occassionally, zinc or iron or both deficiencies are noticed and can be taken care of by spraying chealed zinc or Ferrous.
Climate
all annonas are tropical in origin and grow well in hot and dry climate with varying degrees of difference. Custard Apple requires hot dry climate during flowering and high humidity at fruit setting. Flowering comes during hot dry climate of May but fruit setting takes place on onset of monsoon. Low humidity is harmful for pollination and fertilization. The Custard Apple withstands drought conditions cloudy weather and also when the temperatures go below 15 ℃.cent. Annual rainfall of 50-80 cm is optimum, though it can withstand higher
rainfall.
Post-harvest handling
The fruits do not withstand cold storage as well as handling after ripening. Firm but mature fruits can be kept at 6℃ cent. temperature for about a week but such fruits loose aroma and attractiveness and also develop some cipid taste.