SAPOTA AGRONOMY PRACTICE

Agro-Climatic Requirements

·       Sapota, Being A Tropical Crop Can Be Grown From Sea Level Upto 1200 M. Above M.S.L. It Needs Warm (10-38⁰ C) And Humid Climate (70% Relative Humidity) For Growth And Can Be Cultivated Throughout The Year. Coastal Climate Is Best Suited For Its Cultivation.

·       Alluvial, Sandy Loam, Red Laterite And Medium Black Soils With Good Drainage Are Ideal For Cultivation Of Sapota.  At Higher Elevations In Places Like Punjab And Haryana, It Gives Only One Crop From Summer Flowering In April And May.

Growing And Potential Belts

The State-Wise Growing Belts Are Mentioned Below :

State

Growing Belts

Andhra Pradesh

Prakasam, Guntur, West Godavari, Nellore, East Godavari

Gujarat

Valsad, Navsari, Surat, Junagadh, Bhavnagar

Karnataka

Kolar, Bangalore, Chikkamagalu, Belagaum, Raichur

Orissa

Baleswar, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Ganjam

West Bengal

South 24-Parganas, Kalmpong I & Ii, Blocks Of Darjeeling District.

Varieties Cultivated

Important Varieties Cultivated In Different States Of India Are Listed Below :

State

Varieties Grown

Andhra Pradesh

Cricket Ball, Kalipatti, Calcutta Round, Kirthibharathi, Dwarapudi, Pala, Pkm-1, Jonnavalasa I & Ii, Bangalore, Vavi Valsa

Bihar

Baramasi

Gujarat

Kalipatti, Pilipatti, Cricket Ball, Pkm-1

Karnataka

Cricket Ball, Kalipatti, Calcutta Round, Dhs-1, Dhs-2

Maharashtra

Kalipatti, Dhola Diwani, Cricket Ball, Murabba

Orissa

Cricket Ball, Kalipatti

Tamil Nadu

Pala, Cricket Ball, Guthi, Co 1, Co 2, Pkm-1

Uttar Pradesh

Baramasi

West Bengal

Cricket Ball, Calcutta Round, Baramasi, Baharu, Gandhevi Barada

Land Preparation

The Land Is Ploughed Two To Three Times And Then Leveled. Undulating Land Is Divided Into Terraces And Leveling Is Done. Tall And Thick Growing Trees Viz. Mango, Jamun, Tamarind, Silver Oak And Casuarinas Are Established On The Wind-Ward Side Or On All Sides Of The Orchard. The Plants For Windbreak May Be Planted At A Distance Of 1.5 To 1.8 M. In The Row.

Spacing

·       On An Average, 130 Plants Are Planted At A Spacing Of 8.5m. High Density Planting With A Spacing Of 5×5 M. Upto The Age Of 13 Years Has Been Adopted Successfully.

·       In Light Soils, Pits Of 60x60x60 Cm. Size, Whereas In Heavy And Gravely Soils Pits Of 1x1x1 M. Size Are Made In April-May And Exposed To Sun For A Period Of Fifteen Days. The Pits Are Later On Filled With Well-Rotten Compost Or Farmyard Manure, 3 Kg. Superphosphate And 1.5 Kg. Muriate Of Potash. The Pits Are Then Left To Monsoon Rains For Settling And Planting Is Done At Appropriate Time.

·       Grafts, Budded Plants Or Layers Are Planted One In Each Pit And Care Is Taken So That The Bud Joint Or Graft Is At Least 15 Cm. Above The Ground Level. After Planting, Stakes Are Provided To Avoid Wind Damage. Young Plants Are Protected From The Sun By Making Dry Grass Thatch On Top And Three Sides Excepting The South-East For Sunlight.

Nutrition

About 50 Kg. Of Farmyard Manure , 1 Kg. N (1.5 Kg. In Case Of Rainfed Varieties), 0.5 Kg. P₂o₅ And 0.5 Kg. K₂o /Tree/Year Are Applied And The Dose Is Regulated On The Basis Of Age Of The Tree And Status Of Nutrients In Soil Especially Of P And K. Under Rainfed Conditions, Fertilizers Are Applied Before The Onset Of Monsoon. Under Irrigated Conditions, It Should Be Applied In Two Splits, One Half At The Beginning Of Monsoon And The Remaining Half In The Post-Monsoon Period (September-October).

Harvesting  And Yield

·       Sapota Starts Bearing From Third Year Of Planting But Economic Yields Can Be Obtained From 5^th Year Onwards. The Two Main Seasons Of Flowering Are October- November And February-March And The Two Corresponding Harvesting Seasons Are January-Februrary And May-June. Sapota Takes Four Months From Flowering To Maturity Of Fruits.

·       The Fruits Are Hand Picked Or Harvested With Special Harvester Which Has A Round Ring With A Net Bag Fixed Onto A Long Bamboo.

·       The Crop Bearing Commences From Fifth Year.  As Such Inter Cropping Like Vegetables May Be Taken Up In The First Four Years Of The Project Make It Viable.  In High Density Plantation, The Production Increases From 4.0 Tonnes/Acre In The Fifth Year To 6.0 Tonnes/Acre In The 7^th Year. Thereafter, The Yield Stabilizes At 8.0 Tonnes/Acre From 8^th To 15^th Year.

Post Harvest Management

·       Grading Grading Is Mainly Based On Size And Shape Of The Fruits. The Fruits Are Graded Into Three Categories Depending On Their Size Viz. Large, Medium And Small.

·       Storage The Fruits Are Highly Perishable And Can Be Stored Under Ordinary Condition For A Period Of 7-8 Days After Harvesting. At A Storage Temperature Of 20⁰ C, The Storage Life Can Be Increased For A Period Of 21-25 Days By Removing Ethylene And Adding 5-10% Co₂ To Storage Atmosphere. The Fruits Are Dipped In Ga (300 Ppm.) And Bavistin (1000 Ppm.) Solution At A Pre-Packing Stage In Order To Extend The Storage Life Of The Fruits. Sapota Being A Climateric Fruit Has To Be Ripened Artificially.  Unripe Fruits Can Be Ripened By Applying Ethephon (1000 Ppm.) At 20-25 ⁰ C And Can Be Stored For Five Weeks. Ripened Ones Can Be Stored At 2-3⁰ C And 90-95% Rh For A Period Of Six Weeks.

·       Packing Fruits Are Packed In Cardboard Boxes Of 10 Kg. Capacity With Rice Straw As Padding Material And Ethylene Absorbents. Bamboo Baskets With Banana Leaves As Lining Material And Covered With Net Are Used For Carrying The Produce From Farm To Local Market. In Some Cases, The Produce After Harvesting Is Packed In Wooden Containers And Transported To The Urban Areas For Sale. Wooden Boxes Prevent Damage Of Ripened Fruits And Fetch Better Price In Urban Areas.

·       Transportation Road Transport By Trucks/Lorries Is The Most Popular Mode Of Transport Due To Easy Approach From Orchards To The Market.

·       Marketing Several Intermediaries Like Wholesalers And Commission Agents Are Involved In Marketing Of The Fruit.  The Farmer Realizes Around 35% Of The Wholesale .Price In The Secondary Market.