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Essay on Sapota
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Origin and History of Sapota
- Essay on the Area and Production of Sapota
- Essay on the Importance and Uses of Sapota
- Essay on the Choice of Varieties of Sapota
- Essay on the Insect Pests of Sapota
- Essay on the Diseases of Sapota
- Essay on the Physiological Disorder of Sapota
Essay # 1. Origin and History of Sapota:
Sapota or sapodilla (Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen) Synonym (Achras zapota.), is commonly known as chiku in India. The cultivation of chiku is highly profitable as it does not need much spraying and pruninga etc. and it is a long-life fruit tree. Moreover, the chiku fruit fetches good price as it ripens in July and August, when mango and litchi fruits are scarce.
Sapota is native of tropical America and is believed to have originated in South Mexico or Central America. It is believed that from Central America or Southern Mexico, it spread to other countries such as Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Florida in United States, Sri Lanka, India and Caribean Islands, where it adapted very well.
The sapota was taken to Philippines in the early days by the Spanish and from there it spread westwards to Malaysia and other countries. It is not known when sapota was first introduced to India, but the sapota cultivation was taken up for the first time in Maharashtra in 1898 in a village named Gholwad. Thereafter, it spread to other states and now it occupies a significant position among fruit crops.
Essay # 2. Area and Production of Sapota:
India is considered to be the largest producer of sapota in the world, though sapota is considered to be a minor crop in India. The area under sapota is increasing so rapidly owing to a wider range of adaptability, low production costs and high economic returns that in time to come, its marketing may become a problem. In many regions, cultivation of sapota is now preferred over mango.
At present, total area and production under sapota are 1.63 lakh hectares and 14.26 lakh tonnes. The productivity is high in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Productivity of sapota is much low in Odisha and Maharashtra.
In India, sapota is widely cultivated in Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha. The cultivation of sapota on limited scale is also observed in parts of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar and Brahmaputra valley of Assam. In Maharashtra main centres for growing sapota are Thane and Kalaba. It has now spread to many districts of Vidharba, Marathwada and central Maharashtra.
In Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry have good deal of sapota which has spread to many other districts. In Karnataka sapota cultivation is widely distributed throughout the state. Sapota cultivation in North India is only restricted to sheltered pockets of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as it is susceptible to frost damage. In Punjab, sapota can be introduced on commercial scale in the districts of Patiala, Ropar, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur.
Productivity of sapota ranges from 4 tonnes/ha in Maharashtra to 27.8. an,d 12.3 tonnes/ ha in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, respectively. Although very high yielding orchards are observed in Bulsar district of Gujarat, the average yields are of the order of 12 tonnes/ha.
Export Potential:
Sapota fruits are mainly exported to UAE, Bahrain, Canada, UK, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, USA, Kuwait and Singapore. India has exported 2694 mt sapotas during the year 2011-12 and earned foreign exchange of Rs. 4.28 crores. Commodity wise share of export of sapota is 47.2 per cent to UAE followed by 18.5 per cent to Bahrain and 10.4 per cent to Canada.
Essay # 3. Importance and Uses of Sapota:
Sapota when fully ripe is delicious and is eaten as dessert fruit. The pulp is sweet and melting. It is a good source of digestible sugar which ranges from 12 to 18 per cent and has appreciable amounts of protein, fat, fibre, mineral, calcium, phosphorus and iron. It contains 73.7% moisture, 21.4% carbohydrates, 0.7% protein, 1.1% fat, 28 mg calcium, 27 mg phosphorus, 2 mg iron and 6 mg ascorbic acid per 100 g of fruit.
Its carotene content is 97 I.U. The fruit is taken only when fully ripe as it is not edible at immature stage. Although, sapota is primarily cultivated for its edible fruit in India, but in other countries like Mexico, Guatemala and Venezuela, sapota is cultivated mainly for the extraction of chicle gum.
The fully ripe fruits are eaten with skin. Skin is more nutritive than pulp. The pulp of sapota is used for making sherbets and halwas. The fruits are used for making mixed jams and manufacture of industrial glucose, pectin and fruit jellies. Its wood is used for making agricultural implements, building construction, furniture, etc. In the West Indies, seeds are known to be aperient and diuretic and the bark is reputed to be toxic and febrifuge. The bark of sapota is used as a tonic and antipyretic in Guinea.
Essay # 4. Choice of Varieties of Sapota:
Sapota industry in India is based on narrow genetic base and most of varieties are the result of local selections for shape, size and quality of fruits. A dessert sapota of good eating quality should possess a pleasant sweet taste and good flavour. The pulp should be abundant, mellow and melting. Thick skinned, hard fleshed cultivars with sandy texture are considered inferior.
The following are the cultivars grown in India:
i. Kalipatti:
It is a leading cultivar of Maharashtra, Gujarat and North Karnataka. It has dark green, broad and thick leaves and spreading branches. Fruits are oval shaped, less seeded with sweet, mellow flesh of excellent quality. Fragrance is mild. Each fruit has 1-4 seeds. Fruits appear singly. The main harvest is in winter. Average fruit yield in 166 kg per tree.
ii. Cricket Ball:
It is grown in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The leaves are light green. This bears the largest-sized fruits which are round in shape. Pulp is gritty and granular and not very sweet. It is a shy bearer and does well in arid climate. This variety produces good quality fruits below an elevation of 300 metres. Average yield is 157 kg per tree.
iii. Chhatri:
As the name goes, it bears umbrella like whorls of branches. Its leaves are light green in colour and the fruit is similar to that of Kalipatti in appearance but is slightly less sweet. Though a fairly good copper, it does not bear as heavily as Kalipatti.
iv. Calcutta Round:
It is commercially grown in West Bengal, Karnataka and other states. The foliage is light green in colour. Fruits are large but the flesh is gritty and of moderate quality. It is susceptible to leaf spot disease.
v. Pala:
It is a popular variety of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The fruits are small to medium sized and oval or egg shaped with apex broadly pointed and are very sweet. The bearing is heavy and fruits are borne in clusters. The fruit has thin skin and good flavour.
Efforts have been made to introduce superior hybrids of sapota through planned breeding work. At Coimbatore CO-1 and CO-2 were released. At Dharwar, crosses were made among Kalipatti, Cricket Ball, Calcutta Round and Oval.
Two hybrids (DHS-1 and DHS-2) were obtained from the crosses of (Kalipatti x Cricket Ball) and have been released. PKM-1 was released from Periyakulam for its high yield and excellent quality of fruit having better shelf life. Hybrid 2/4 is also promising and has exhibited hybrid vigour. Kirthabharti, Bharamasi and Dhola Diwani are also promising varieties of sapota grown in different regions of the country.
Essay # 5. Insect Pests of Sapota:
i. Stem Borer (Indarbela Tetraonis):
The grub bores into the bark of the sapota trunk and feeds on the living tissue inside the bark. The presence of the insect can be detected from the chewed bark thrown out of a hole in the trunk. This insect is commonly found in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, etc.
Kill the insect by thrusting a stiff wire into the tunnel. Plug the hole with a wad of cotton wool dipped in kerosene and plastered with wet mud. By this, the borer gets suffocated and dies within the tree.
ii. Mealy Bug (Phenacoccus Icerjoides):
It is a sucking insect. Bugs are small, oval with a cottony white waxy covering on their body. Mealy bug sticks are on the upper surface of the leaves and base of the fruit near the fruit stalks. Leaves have a black coating which gives them a sickly appearance.
Spray dimethoate @ 150 ml in 100 litres of water for its control. Try to keep free sapota plantation from red ants because these help in distributing mealy bugs from one tree to another.
iii. Fruit Borer (Virachola Isocrates):
It attack 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 crystallizes later on. Sapota bud borer (Anarsia achrasella) and sapota moth (Nephopterix eugraphella) also infest sapota and do considerable loss.
For their control spray 0.05% percent malathion. Spray Dursban 20 EC (Chlorpyriphos) @ 300 ml in 100 litres of water as soon as attack is noticed.
iv. Scale Insects (Pulvinaria Psidii.):
They suck the sap by infesting along the sides or midrib and surface of leaves and twigs. These scales are green or brown in colour and oval shaped.
Spray diamethoate or malathion 150 ml in 100 litres of water.
v. Bark Eating Caterpillar (Indarbela Sp.):
This bores into the stem bark and the excreta along with fibrous material hang down outsides the bark.
The pest can be controlled by giving one or two sprays of dimethoate @ 150 ml in 100 litres of water.
vi. Leaf Miner (Anarsia Gemoniella):
The tiny caterpillar of a greyish moth mines into the surface of young leaves. Affected leaves curl up, irregular galleries or 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 dimethoate or malathion (150 ml in 100 litres of water).
Essay # 6. Diseases of Sapota:
i. Leaf Spot:
The disease is caused by a fungus Phaeophleospora indica. It is characterised by numerous, small, pinkish to reddish brown spots with whitish centres. In severe cases, the defoliation of leaves may be noticed and tree becomes partially or fully barren. Leaf spot become severe during rainy season.
For its control, spray Dithane Z-78 @ 0.2 per cent followed by Blitox (0.5%) at an interval of 30 days. Grow resistant varieties CO-1 and Cricket Ball.
ii. Sooty Mould:
The disease is incited by Capnodium sp. The casual fungal disease develops on the honey dew like excretion by scale insects and mealy bug. The disease adversely affects the photosynthetic function of leaves and disfigures the fruit.
Spray Zineb at 200 g in 100 litres of water to check the disease. Spray starch solution @ 500 g in 100 litres of water. Starch forms thin flakes and drop off.
Essay # 7. Physiological Disorder of Sapota:
Flattening of Branches or Flat Limb:
The branches become flattened and this disorder has been attributed to a pathogen Botryodiplodia theobromae. It is observed in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which reduces production by lowering the fruit set.
The affected branches produce small, dry and shrivelled fruits. Affected branches produce leaves of smaller size, the branches have been found to recover to a normal growth during summer months. Phytosanitary measures are beneficial. Pruning and destroying the affected branches is the effective control measure.