Cultivation of Sapota - Varieties, Propagation, Planting, Harvesting

1. Botanical name : Manilkara zopota/
M.achras/Achras sapota
Family : Sapotaceae
Origin : Tropical America
Chromosome No. : 2n=26
Sapota is a delicious calorie-rich fruit
Production technology of Sapota
Dr. M. Kumaresan (Hort.)
Floriculture and Landscaping
Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies
(VISTAS)
Pallavaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu -600117

2. Introduction
• Sapota is one of the important tropical fruits in India
• India is the largest producer of sapota in the world
• It is commonly known as chikku
• It is mainly cultivated in coastal regions of peninsular India
• Recently, it is also grown on larger scale in dry, arid regions of India
• Mainly cultivated in India for its fruit value
• South-East Mexico, Gautemala and other countries commercially grown for the
production of Chickle
• Chickle is a gum like substance used for the preparation of chewing gum
• Gutta-percha is used as a base material for making chewing gum

3. Introduction
• In India, Sapota cultivation was taken up for the first time in Maharashtra
• India : Area - 1.01 lakh Ha, Production – 12 lakh tonnes
• In India, Sapota is commercially grown in Karnataka, Gujarat, AP, WB,
Maharastra and TN
• Type of fruit: Berry
• Edible fruit: Mesocarp

4. Uses
• Sapota is good source of sugars, protein, fat, fibre and minerals (Ca, P and
Fe)
• Sapota is a delicious dessert fruit
• Latex from stems and immature fruits is used in the preparation of chewing
gum
• Fruits can be dried and made into nutritious powder which can be used in Milk
shakes and sweets
• In countries (Indonesia) young leafy shoots are used in salads or as vegetable

5. Origin and Distribution
• Sapota is native of tropical America and is believed to have originated in South
Mexico or Central America cultivated in West Indies, Philippines, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Srilanka and India

6. Climate and soil
• Sapota is a tropical fruit and can be grown up to 1000m
• Annual rainfalls 125-250cm are best
• Optimum temperature range is 110C to 340C
• High temperature 410C causes drying of stigmatic surface
• Dry and strong winds also damage Sapota
• Sapota can be grown in a wide variety of soils
• Deep Sandy loams or alluvial soils or medium black soils are best
• Calcareous soils (pH 6-8) give good crops of Sapota

7. • Sapota cultivars are grouped into 4 types based on nature of branches and colour of
foliage as follows
• Trees with erect growing habit: Branches appearing in whorls, leafy dark green,
broad and oval, fruits large and superior
• Trees with drooping habit: Branches in whorls, leaves light green narrow and
elliptical, fruit small, inferior
• Trees with spreading habit: Branches irregular, leaves dark green, broad and oval,
fruits medium to large, superior
• Trees with spreading habit: but with inferior quality fruits
Types

8. CO.1 (1972)
• It is a hybrid clone of the cross between Cricket Ball x Oval
• The fruit shape is long oval, medium sized with total soluble solids of 18°brix
• Each fruit weighs about 125g
• A yield of 175 to 200kg per tree can be obtained per year
• The fruit is bigger than Oval and sweeter than Cricket Ball
• The flesh is granular in texture and reddish brown in color

9. CO.2 (1974)
• It is a clonal selection from Baramasi
• Fruits are obvoate to round, medium sized, skin outer surface cinnamon brown in color, inner
surface yellowish green, flesh soft, juicy, slightly gritty, light brown in color, aroma slight, taste
sweet, seed medium sized, black, obovate in shape, beaked, suture distinct, slightly adhering to flesh
and placed centrally in the fruit
• The length, diameter and weight of fruits range from 4.0 to 6.5 cm, 5.0 to 7.0 cm and 112-168 g
respectively
• The number of seeds per fruit varies between two and eight
• The mean acidity of fruit is 0.13 with a reducing sugars content of 12.8 per cent, non-reducing
sugars of 3.94per cent, total sugars of 16.95 per cent and total soluble solids of 23.10 per cent
• Approximately fruits take six months from fruit set to harvest, with two bearing seasons (December
– February and May-June)
• The yield is 175 kg per tree or 11.8 tonnes of fruits per hectare per year at the rate of 67 trees planted
at 40 feet spacing

10. CO 3 (2000)
• It is a hybrid between Cricket Ball x Vavilavalasa released from Department of Fruit
Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore
• The trees are intermediate stature with compact canopy
• Highly suitable for high density planting
• It bears fruits all through the year with a peak during February-June and September-
October
• A well-grown tree yields up to 157kg of fruits as against 109.5 and 101.32kg/tree by
CO.2, CO.1 respectively
• Under high-density planting system it yields 40-50t/ha
• It is suitable for growing in plains up to an elevation of 100m MSL under wide range of
soil conditions

11. PKM 1 (1981)
• It is a clonal selection from Guthi
• A mean yield of 3547 fruits (236kg) can be obtained per tree per year
• The tree is dwarf and adaptable to Southern and Central districts
• Fruits are of two shapes viz., round (rarely) and oval (maximum)
• The skin is very thin and the pulp has a buttery consistency
• High average yielder with medium size fruits.
• Average fruit weight is 100g

12. PKM 2 (1992)
• Hybrid between Guthi and Kirtibarthi
• High yielder a mean yield of 80kg of fruits/tree during fifth year after planting
• Yield increase is 42.76% over PKM.1 variety
• Fruits are bigger in size (95g) as compared to PKM.1 (84.0g)
• They are oblong to oval shaped
• The fruits are of good quality with higher TSS (26.3°brix), total sugar (14.25%),
reducing sugar (9.46%) with high sugar/acid ratio

13. PKM.3 (1994
• It is a hybrid between Guthi x Cricket Ball
• The variety is adaptable to tropical plains of Tami Nadu and yields 14t/ha
• The fruits bear in clusters with oval shaped large fruits
• The vertical growth habit of tree allows high density planting
• The fruits mature earlier than other varieties in this season thus fetching higher
return.
• The variety is tolerant to leaf spot and leaf Webber.

14. PKM (Sa) 4 (2003)
• It is a open pollinated clone of PKM 1
• It is a high yielder with compact canopy and cluster bearing character
• It bears spindle shaped fruits suitable for dry flakes production
• The fruit contains attractive pulp with light pinkish honey brown colour which are
crisp with sweet with TSS of 24 -25º Brix
• The fruits are also found to be less seeded (2-3 seeds only)
• The best season for planting is June – July and October – November
• It yields about 20.8 tonnes / hectare (100.4 kg/tree/year) which is 138.29 per cent
increase over PKM 1
• It is suitable for varied soil types of tropical conditions

15. PKM (Sa) 5 (2007)
• It is a selection from open pollinated seedlings maintained in a private orchard at Virudhunagar
• High yielder, High Total Soluble Solids (25.50 brix) and suitable for preparation of dry flakes, milk
shake powder and mixed fruit jam
• Suitable for vertisols, water stagnated and drought areas
• Oval shaped attractive fruits with smooth, light brown skin which facilitates a good market appeal
• Flesh is crisp and retains coppery brown colour while other sapota varieties turn dark brown after
ripening
• This can be best planted during June – October
• This is having a yield potential of 18.70 t/ha which is 19.06 % yield increase over (PKM 1) and
17.97 % (PKM 4)
• This is well adapted to the vertisol soils of Southern Tamil Nadu and water stagnated and drought
prone areas

16. Cricket Ball, Kalipatti andPala
Cricket Ball
• Also known as ‘Calcutta Large’ bears large round fruits
• The pulp is gritty and granular and moderately sweet
Kalipatti
• It is the leading variety in Maharashtra, Gujarat and North Karnataka. It has dark
green broad and thick leaves. Fruits are oval shaped with sweet pulpy pulp
Pala
• It is a popular variety in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
• The fruits are small to medium with oval or egg shape borne in clusters

17. Kirthibarti
• A popular variety in Andhra Pradesh. Fruits are medium sized, oval and peel is rough
and thick
Baramasi
• A popular variety in West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The fruits are medium
sized and partially round
Pilipatti
• This variety has unique small fruits found in Maharashtra and Gujarat
• The fruits are oblong, elongated with soft sweet pulp
Kirthibarti, Baramasi and Pilipatti

18. Gutthi and Oval
Gutthi
• The fruits are small sized and oval in shape, with apex broadly pointed.
• Pulp is very sweet and fruits are borne in clusters
Oval
• Fruits small to medium, oval, inferior shy bearer

19. DHS-1 and DHS-2
DHS-1
• A hybrid of Kalipatti x Cricket Ball, released from UAS, Dharwad in the year
1991
• It is a vigorous growing plant with round to oblong fruits, high yield, sweet, soft
granular mellowing pulp
DHS-2
• Another hybrid from the above cross Kalipatti x Cricket Ball also released from
UAS, Dharwad in the year 1991.
• This has bigger fruits than DHS-1, which is round in shape

20. Varieties/ hybrids
Varieties/ hybrids Parentage Shape
CO-1 Cricket Ball x Oval Oval
CO-2
Clonal selection from
Baramasi
Obovate to round
CO-3 (suitable for HDP) Cricket Ball x Vanivallasa Oval
PKM-1 (dwarf, bearing throughout the
year)
Clonal Selection from Guthi Oblong
PKM-2 (hybrid) Guthi x Kirthabarti Obong
PKM-3 (hybrid) (suitable for HDP),
cluster bearing shabit
Kalipatti x Cricket Ball Oblong
PKM-4 (suitable for dry flakes
production).
Open pollinated selection from
PKM 1
Spindle shaped
DHS-1 Kalipatti x Cricket Ball Oblong
DHS-2 Kalipatti xCricket Ball Round

21. Propagation
Commercially propagated by grafting on Rayan or khirni (Manilkara hexandra) rootstocks
Other root stocks used are:
1. Miracular fruit (Sideroxylon dulcifieum)
2. Adams apple (M. kauki)
3. Mahua (M.latifolia)
4. Mee Tree (Bassia Longifolia)
5. Star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito)
• Approach grafting during February (Jan-March) and soft wood grafting during: May-July
• Air layering using 10,000PPM (1BA+NAA) gives good rooting; Budding during May also
gives success

22. Planting
• Spacing is 8X8m; 1x1x1 m pits are dug. Pits are to be filled with mixture of 10kg
FYM, 2kg neem cake and 100g of Lindane 1.3%.
• High density planting with 5mx5m spacing improves yield. Upto 13 years
exploited successfully.
• It is better to have a wind break around the Sapota plot.
• Best season is June- Dec.
• Square system of planting is mostly recommended and contour system is followed
in sloping land.

23. • Manures and fertilizers may be applied in September-October, 45 cm away from
the trunk upto the leaf drip and incorporated.
• Manuring should be done in 2 spilt doses coinciding with the monsoons.
• Micronutrients: In case of Zn and Fe deficiency, organic manures, Znso4 and
Feso4 (0.5%) are applied.
Manuring

24. Intercropping
• Legumes and short duration vegetable crops may be raised as intercrop during
pre-bearing stage.
• Intercrops like banana, papaya, leguminous vegetables can be grown profitably
during the pre-bearing period.
• Weeding should be regular.
• Spraying SADH 100ppm gives good fruit set and (Planofix) NAA 300ppm gives
fruit retention.
• Sprayings are done twice before flowering and again at pea stage.

25. Training and Pruning
• Central leader system is commonly followed
• Better to remove the lower most branches on the trunk up to 60-90cm as they will
be touching the ground and mostly unproductive.
• Stock sports should be removed from time to time
• No regular pruning is needed for Sapota

26. Pollination
• Flowers are protogyny and the stigma grows out of the bud about two days before
anthesis
• The flowers keep fresh for nearly two days.
• The total time taken from fruit set to maturity is 10-12 months under North Indian
Conditions but in Tamil Nadu it takes only 4-5 months.

27. • The grub of this small beetle bores into bark of the Sapota trunk and feeds on the
living tissue inside the bark
• The chewed bark is seen on the hole.
• Kill the insect by thrusting a stiff wire into the tunnel
• Plug the hole with a wad of cotton in kerosene at 0.1 percent and plaster with wet
mud
• This treatment creates suffocation inside the hole or tunnel which results in death of
the insect inside
Stem borer (Isocrata tetraonis)

28. Leaf minor
• The tiny caterpillar of a greyish moth mines into the surface of young leaves
• Affected leaves curl up, mines are seen on the surface of leaves and sometimes
caterpillars are found inside the mines
• Later on, affected leaves get destroyed, dry up and fall
• Spray once or twice Dimethate (30ml in 18 liters of water)

29. • It is sucking insect.
• It is a small, over in shape with a cottony white, waxy on the under surface of
leaves and base of the fruit near the fruit stalks
• They suck the sap and secrete large quantities of sugary sub stones
• Leaves have a block coating which gives them sickly appearance
• Spray dimethoate at the rate of 30ml in 18 liters of water
• Try to keep free sapota plantation from red onts because these help in distributing
mealy bugs from one tree to another
• Red ants are effectively controlled with a dusting of a mixture of BHC 5 percent
with sulphur in the proportion of 2:1
Mealy bug: (Phenacoccus icerjoides)

30. Scale insects: (Pulvinaria psidil) and
Fruit borer (Virachola isocrates)
Scale insects: (Pulvinaria psidil)
• They suck the sap by infesting along the sides of midrib and surface of leaves and
twinges
• These scales are green or grown in colour and oval shaped
• Spray Dimethoate at 30ml in 18 liters of water
Fruit borer (Virachola isocrates)
• Borer attacks on fruits and sometimes buds which can easily be detected by seeing the
latex which comes out on the surface of the infested fruits, the latex later crystallizes
• Spray 0.01% Fenvalerate/0.01% endosufan

31. Leafspot: (Phoecophleospora indica)
• The causal fungus results in dark brown, the adjacent spots on leaves. When
infection is severe, the adjacent spots become large irregular whitish patches
• In severe caser, the defoliation of leaves may be noticed
• Spray -78 @0.2% at an interval of 30 days
• Grow resistant varieties like Co-1, Cricket Ball.
• The varieties Co-2 & Kalipatti are tolerant, but calcutta round is susceptible.

32. • Sooty mould is incited by Capnodium sps
• The causal fungal disease develops on the honey like excretion by scale insects and
mealy bugs
• Spray Zineb @ 40 g in 18 liters water
• Spray starch solution (100 g M in 18 liters of water)
• Starch forms the flakes which eventualy drop off the leaves
Sooty mould

33. Best symptoms of maturity are
• Milky latex on scratching will be reduced & shows yellow streak than green
streak.
• Brown scaly material gets reduced.
• Dried stigma at the tip of the fruit drops easily
• Develops dull orange or potato colour
• Fruits should be harvested with stalk intact
• Peak harvesting periods are Jan-Feb and May-June in Maharashtra and March-May
and Sept-October in Karnataka and AP
• Sapota normally produces fruit throughout the year

34. Harvesting and yield
• A mature fruit is dull brown in colour and the colour immediately below the skin when
scratched is of lighter shade, while in the immature fruits it is green
• The mature fruits are harvested by hand picking
• Season: February-June and September-October
• Ripen the fruits by keeping a beaker containing 5000 ppm Ethrel + 10 g NaOH pellets in
an air tight chamber. (5 ml Ethrel in one lit of water is 5000 ppm)
• Sapota may start bearing 2nd or 3rd year but commercial yield can be obtained from 7th
year onwards
• Sapota takes about 7-10moths from fruitset to maturity depending upon the cultivar
season and locality
• The average yield is 20-25 ton/ha

35. Ripening and storage
• Fruits ripen after harvest in about 4-13 days depending upon cultivar
• Ripening can be hastened by treating with ethrel (250-750ppm)
• Between 12-140C fruits ripen slowly and keep well for about 5 weeks
• Ripe fruits can be stored at 2-30C and 85-90% RH for 6 weeks and firm fruits for 8
weeks at 3 to 50C and 85-95% RH

36. Physiological disorders
Fruit drop
• Sapota has the problem of low fruit setting and shedding
• Only about 10-12 per cent of the total fruits set, develop and retained until maturity
• Most of the fruit-drop occurs immediately after fruit setting
• Increase in fruitset and retention are possible by spraying NAA and GA3 at 25 to
100 ppm during flowering and at 15-day interval

37. Die back
• It is common where sapota cultivation is being extend to traditionally rice growing
regions
• Due to anaerobic condition in monsoon and post monsoon wilt is common
appearance aggravated by Fussarium spp
• Effective drainage facility
• Extreme summer avoided

38. Oblongation of fruit
• Shape of fruit related with number of seeds in it which depend on condition for
pollination at anthesis
• High temperature rise at rainfall at flowering cause oblongation fruit.
• Extreme summer avoided

39. Corkiness of sapota
• The fruit expose to intense sunlight do not ripen uniformly developing corking
during winter
• This is probably due to killing hydrollysing enzyme by alteration moisture
accumulation and heating of fruit surface by winter