Everything you need to learn about cultivating custard apple organically. Learn about:- 1. Introduction to Custard Apple 2. Climate and Soil Required for Cultivating Custard Apple 3. Propagation 4. Planting Techniques 5. Training, Pruning and Canopy Management 6. Organic Nutrient Management 7. Harvesting and Yield 8. Insect Pests and Diseases 9. Varieties.
Contents:
- Introduction to Custard Apple
- Climate and Soil Required for Cultivating Custard Apple
- Propagation of Custard Apple
- Planting Techniques of Custard Apple
- Training, Pruning and Canopy Management of Custard Apple
- Organic Nutrient Management of Custard Apple
- Harvesting and Yield of Custard Apple
- Insect Pests and Diseases of Custard Apple
- Varieties of Custard Apple
1. Introduction to Custard Apple:
Custard apple (Annona squamosa) is the most favourite fruit in India. It is also called as a delicacy of dry region due to its very sweet delicate flesh. It is a deciduous or semi-deciduous tall woody shrub of about 5-6 meters height having irregularly spreading branches.
The fruits are rich in carbohydrates and minerals, mainly in the form of sugars (23.5%), protein (1.6%), calcium (17mg/100g), phosphorus (47mg/100g) and iron (1.5mg/100g). The custard apple of India the sitaphal or sugar apple of sweet sop has many relatives. Some of the relatives of custard apple are Ramphal or Bullocks heart (Annona reticulata), Sour sop (A. muricata) and Cherimoya (A. cherimola).
Besides being used as a dessert fruit, custard apple can be used in ice cream and in preparation of jam, jelly etc. Tropical America is considered to be the native home of all Annonaceous fruits. In India it is cultivated in an area of 19.55 thousand hectares with total production of 135.64 thousand tons (2012-13).
Its plants come up unattended in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu as scrub plants. Of late, custard apple has gained commercial significance and exclusive orchards are emerging in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
2. Climate and Soil Required for Cultivating Custard Apple:
Custard apple withstands heat and drought conditions, high atmospheric humidity is necessary during flowering to improve fruit set. A warm climate (not very hot) with high humidity and mild winter are the ideal climatic conditions for the best growth. It can tolerate extremes of temperature (below freezing and up to 40°C). It can be grown from sea level to upto 1000 meters above mean sea level. An annual rainfall of 600-800 mm is optimum.
Custard apple can be grown in all types of soils like shallow, sandy, but fails to grow if the subsoil is ill drained. A little salinity or acidity does not affect it but high alkalinity, salinity, poor drainage or marshy-wet lands hamper its growth and fruiting.
3. Propagation of Custard Apple:
The custard apple is commonly propagated by seeds. Seed propagated plants are not true-to-type, lack precocity and vigour, whereas grafting or budding (Patch or chip budding) helps largely to overcome these drawbacks. Vegetative propagation by veneer grafting has also been found quite successful in February month.
Budding is usually done in early spring or in the autumn. Recently researches conducted at Anantapur revealed that softwood grafting during March is the best method of propagation in custard apple. The plants also give maximum establishment in the field conditions.
4. Planting Techniques of Custard Apple:
Land Preparation:
The land selected for custard apple cultivation is thoroughly and deeply ploughed followed by 3 to 4 cultivations and harrowing.
Custard apple should be transplanted 5m x 5m apart (400 plants/ha). However, setting plants closer may be preferred. Plants spaced at 4m x 4m (625 plants/ha) not only accommodate over 50% additional plants/unit area but also promote better fruit set by improving pollination, a problem in annonas.
However under organic management system it will be appropriate to have either 5 m x 5 m or 4m x 5m or 4m x 6m spacing. Close spacing within rows will help in better pollination also. Extra space provided can be utilized to grow kharif pulses like mung bean, urad bean, green manures like sunhemp etc. to be ploughed in the soil or used as mulch. Nutritional requirements as well as pest management must be taken care of for success of intercrops.
Pit Filling:
Dig the pits of the size 60 x 60 x 60 cm well in advance. Fill the pits with top soil mixed with 30-40 kg well rotten FYM per pit. Pseudomonas Fluorescens/Trichoderma viride @ 50 g/pit is also mixed with FYM. After filling the pit, watering is done to allow soil to settle down. If there is problem of termite add 50 g of Beauveria bassiana and mix in F.Y.M.
Planting:
Planting should be carried out preferably in spring so that plants establish roots in summer, start growing as the weather warms up and put up vigorous growth during rains. However, if adequate irrigation facilities are lacking, then monsoon is the optimum time for planting. Keeping of the graft-joint well above the ground is a must requirement. As soon as a young sapling is planted, it should be irrigated till it is properly established.
5. Training, Pruning and Canopy Management of Custard Apple:
Annonas require little pruning. It is essential to develop a good framework for getting better yields over a long period of time. Without pruning, the plants become bushy and their bearing efficiency comes down.
Hence, timely removal of misplaced limbs is necessary to build a strong framework. Selective and mild pruning of dead wood and very old branches should be carried out to avoid congestion and encourage well-spaced branching. Under organic management appropriate thinning of shoots/branches, topping and side dressing of plants is necessary if there is congestion to allow free movement of air and better light penetration.
Most of the annonas produce moderate crop even in the absence of irrigation. Irrigating plants at least during flowering and fruit development is essential. Fruit quality is superior in irrigated plants with more edible pulp/ segment. Plants receiving regular water grow luxuriantly with each bearing. Pruning, manuring and irrigation are quite essential to get maximum yield.
6. Organic Nutrient Management of Custard Apple:
Although, custard apple plants are seldom manured but under organized cultivation manuring helps in improvement in yield and quality of fruits with better quality pulp and aroma. Therefore it is advisable to provide adequate manuring through organic manures, biomass mulches and green manuring through legume crops.
Under normal circumstances when full biomass recycling is ensured nearly 75-80% nitrogen, 85% phosphorus and 60% of potash absorbed by the plants are recycled back through fallen leaves, discarded fruits and pruning. To compensate the loss, nutrients equivalent to 250 g N, 125 g P2O5 and 125 g K2O need to be provided in the form of additional organic inputs for 5 year or older plants.
One cycle of green manure crop grown as an intercrop and incorporated in the soil or used as surface mulch can considerably reduce the need for additional organic manures. For ease of application a manure mixture is prepared by mixing 70 kg vermicompost with 15 kg neem cake + 9.5 kg concentrated chicken manure + 5 kg wood ash (or 750 gm sulphate of potash in case if wood ash is not available) and 100 gm each of Azotobacter, PSB and KMB bio-fertilizers along with some quantity of water and incubated for 48 hrs.
This manure mixture can be used within 7-10 days of preparation. Keeping all these things in mind two types of manuring schedules, one for rainfed situations and another for irrigated plantations are recommended for plants having ages of 5 years and 10 years.
7. Harvesting and Yield of Custard Apple:
The fruits are to be harvested at correct stage of maturity. Light green fruit colour, yellowish white colour between the carpels and initiation of cracking of the skin between the carpels may be taken as maturity index. The fruits are hand-picked. The peak harvest period is October-November.
A custard apple plant usually produces 80-100 fruits per tree after 4 to 5 years and the total yield being 7 tons/ha.
Ripe fruits of custard apple are very delicate and with little pressure fruits get damaged. Ripe fruits of custard apple can be stored only for 2-3 days. Storage can be extended to 10-15 days at 10-15°C temperature, 85-90% RH along with 3-5% oxygen and 10% CO2 under modified storage conditions.
8. Organic Management of Insect Pests and Diseases in Custard Apple:
Pest management being an integrated approach in organic farming starts with creation and maintenance of diversity, which includes permanent diversity plantation on boundary and internal bunds, (such as Gliricidia, Leucaena leucocephala etc.), on borders and pesticidal value plants such as Adathoda, Ipomea, Calotropis, Vitex (nirgundi) etc. randomly in between border plantation and aromatic grasses such as lemon grass on internal bunds and seasonal diversity through intercrops (mainly leguminous crops like green gram, black gram, horse gram etc.), flowering plants and trap crops (such as marigold, hibiscus, basil, sorghum etc.).
Plantation of insectary plants, as intercrops such as cluster bean, French bean, maize, sunflower etc.in rainy season and mustard, coriander, alfalfa, castor bean in rabi season for sustained population of beneficial insects is also an important strategy.
Next step involves manipulation of cultural practices to ensure a balance in natural processes, which in turn keep the pests below the economical threshold limit.
Important cultural practices are:
1. Proper spacing, mulching and green manuring and adequate use of organic manures and proper irrigation
2. Do not follow high density or close planting
3. Use of resistant cultivars and disease free planting stock.
A. Ecological and Cultural Strategies for below Ground Pest Management:
1. Growing legumes as cover/intercrop and its incorporation in soil
2. Keeping soil covered with living vegetation and or crop residue.
3. Adequate use of organic manures followed by biomass mulching and drenching with fermented dung-urine slurry (such as Jivamrit)
B. Ecological and Cultural Strategies for above Ground Pest Management:
1. Ensure natural habitat and survival conditions for natural pest enemies such as pest predators, parasites and pathogens.
2. Do not uproot weed plants those are growing naturally and act as nectar source for natural enemies (such as Tridax procumbens, Ageratum sp, Alternanthera sp etc.)
3. Collect egg cards of beneficial insects for release such as Trichogramma, Chrysoperla, Telenomns etc. which are available from state Bio-control Labs.
4. Install 4-5 pheromone traps/acre.
5. Set up yellow pan water trap/sticky traps 15 cm above the canopy for monitoring of pest population @ 4-5 traps/acre.
6. Set up light traps 1 trap/acre 15 cm above the crop canopy for monitoring and mass trapping of insects. Light traps with exit option for natural enemies of smaller size should be installed and operate around the dusk time (6 pm to 10 pm).
7. Grow flowering plants along the orchard border by arranging small plants towards the crop and taller plants towards border. Important insectary plants include mustard, sunflower, alfalfa, marigold, carrot, French bean, cowpea, maize, spearmint, peppermint, coriander, Ocimum etc. Use these plants as intercrops also in between the two rows and on bunds. After flowering these plants can be used as green manure/mulch.
C. Rodent Management:
Rodents are serious problem in rainfed and wild to semi- wild plantations. Rodents can be effectively managed by disturbing and destroying their habitat (burrows).
Some important control measures are:
1. Practicing clean cultivation
2. Minimize alternate food sources and secured habitation by removing the weeds and crop residues in/around the fields
3. Practice burrow smoking using paddy straw or other natural smoking materials for 2-3 minutes for each burrow.
4. Connect a rubber pipe to motorcycle exhaust on one side and insert the other end into burrows and putting accelerator drives the rodents out or annihilates them.
5. Encourage the establishment of natural predator like barn owls by establishing barn owl perches/wooden boxes in and around the crop fields.
6. Use traps to catch and kill rodents
7. Practice burrow smoking as individual and community, preferably on a campaign approach.
Keep monitoring the fields on weekly basis. Enumerate pest: defender ratio. If pest to defender ratio is 2:1 then no need to worry.
9. Varieties of Custard Apple:
Balanagar, Barbados Seedling, British Guinea, Red Sitaphal, Mammoth, Local Sitaphal, Mahaboob nagar, Saharanpur Local and Washington are some of the varieties of custard apple. An interspecific hybrid Arka Sahan has been released by IIHR Bangalore. African Pride and Pink Mammoth are the other two hybrids between A. squamosa and A. cherimola being cultivated in Australia. Gem is another hybrid between A. squamosa and A. cherimola.