Custard apple is a tropical fruit cultivated in parts of India, Australia, and South America. There are several varieties of custard apple including Annona squamosa, which produces heart-shaped fruits with sweet pulp around the seeds. Custard apples are a good source of carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. They can be consumed fresh or used to make products like jam. Major custard apple growing states in India include Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The fruit requires tropical conditions and well-drained soil to grow.

1. Annona’s

2. Annonas- Annona squamosa
Family- Annonaceae
Origin- Tropical America
Chromosome no. 2n= 14
Fruit type- Berry
Edible part- Pericarp
Synonyms: Custard Apple, Sugar Apple,
Sitaphal, Sweetsop, Noina, etc.

3. INTRODUCTION:
Custard apple are delicious fruits and are used
when they are full ripe.
Pleasant flavor mild aroma and sweet taste
have a universal acceptance.
Cultivation of custard apple is prevalent in
Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, India.
In India custard apple is under cultivation
throughout the southern part and in Assam, Bihar,
AP, MP, UP, MH.

4. COMPOSITION AND USES:
The large aggregate fruits are composed of
peel, pulp, seeds.
Fruits contain 45% edible portion , 100gm of
which composition 70.5gm moisture, 23.5gm
carbohydrates, 1.6gm protien, 0.4gm fat.
Which is also rich in minerals those are calcium
17mg, 45mg of phosphorous, vitamin-a 37mg and
gives 104 k cal of energy.
Custard Apple contains sugar-20-25%.

5. USES:
Fruits are used mainly for fresh consumption.
Custard apple is the “fruit of poor people”.
Pulp is used in ice creams and puddings.
Products such as jam, jelly, squash, syrup,
nectar, canned product and a fermented alcoholic
beverage.
Fruits, seeds, leaves and roots of custard apple
are valued for their medicinal properties.

6. As well as used both in Ayurvedic and yunani
systems.
Seeds containing 30% oil which is extracted
and used in soap and paint industries.
Leaves are used for preparation of blue or black
dyes.
Seeds are used for abortifacient and roots are
drastic purgative agent.
Seeds, leaves ,young raw fruits are used for
making insecticides and lice killers.

7. AREA AND PRODUCTION:
The custard apples are mainly growing in
tropical parts of America, Australia, brazil, Egypt
and some parts of India.
Andhra Pradesh is the major fruit growing state
in India and following by MH, UP, Bihar, Assam.
The Area having 53,000ha and production is
2.5ton fruit yield/ha.

8. BOTANY:
Growth of the plants are shrubs or small trees
growing up to 5 to 6m.
leaves are alternate simple and entire. Flowers
are born either singly or in small groups,
yellowish green and hermaphrodite and
protogynous and having auxiliary bearing habit.
 Fruits are heart shaped, fleshy syncarp formed
by the fusion of the pistils and receptacle,
pericarp is the edible part.
Custard like edible pulp. Pollination is mainly by
insects i.e. cross pollination.

9. SPECIES AND VARIETIES:
Custard apple belongs to family annonaceae, this
family includes 40 genera and genus annona has
got 120 sps out of which 7 have commercial
significance.

10. 1. Annona squamosa(custard apple, sugar apple,
sweetsop, Ate) :
 Having good quality.
 The fruits develop from loosely cohering carpel's
forming a squamose or tuberculeted surface.
 The pulp around the seeds is very sweet and
pleasantly flavoured.

11. 2. Annona cherimola(Lakshmanphal cherimoya) :
Cherimoya is one of the finest subtropical fruits.
 It is the best annonaceous fruit because its acidic
sweet flavoured and low seed content.
It is however not suitable for tropical climate.
Based on the fruits form 5 cultivars are there
a. Finger printed
b. Smooth
c. Tuberculeted
d. Mannilate
e. Umbonate.

12. 3. Annona reticulata(bullocks heart, Ramphal) :
The fruits are heart shaped, nearly smooth and
contain for seeds.
The fruits quality is poor because of lower sugar
content of the pulp.
It is a tropical fruit not grown in commercially in
India.

13. 4. Annona muricata(sour soap, mundlasitaphal) :
It is an evergreen tropical tree, within grows in AP,
Assam.
Its large heart shaped fruits.
The pulp is sour due to the presence of high acidity.

14. 5. Annona diversifolia (ilama) :
The fruits resembles sugar apple.
Best cultivar of custard apple.

15. 6. Annona glabra(pond apple , monkey apple) :
 Swamp loving ornamental plan.
Useful in breeding for the drought tolerance and
colored flesh.

16. 7. Annona atemoya(Hanumanphal) :
Hybrid between the Annona squamosa X Annona
cherimola.
High yielding spp. Is known for quality fruits but low
productive variety.
Tolerant to more cold.

17. CLIMATE:
It requires a tropical or subtropical climate with
summer temperatures from 25 °C (77 °F) to 41 °C
(106 °F), and mean winter temperatures above
15 °C (59 °F).
It is only moderately drought-tolerant, requiring
at least 700 mm of annual rainfall, and will not
produce fruit well during droughts.
SOIL:
Prefers a moist but well-drained, sandy loam
with a pH around 6.

18. CULTIVARS:
•BALANAGAR: Green skinned fruits with
medium size. High yielding.
•BRITISH GUINEA: Fruit weight is about 151gm
and 37.9% pulp. 17.9% total sugar.
•MAMMOTH: Fruit weight about 183g/ fruit. TSS
content: 23%, acidity 0.19%. Good quality fruit.
•BARBADOS SEEDLING: Fruits having high
sugar content. Fruits having green rind, orange
yellow margins. Late season variety.

19. •RED SITAPHAL: This variety originated as a
chance seedling. Fruits are dark pinkish. Having
average quality and more number of seeds.
•KAKARLAPAHAD: Very high yielding variety. It
is very sweet and crispy in nature.
•APK (Ca) 1: Released from RRS, Aruppukottai,
TN during 2003. Yield- 14.9kg/tree. Fruits are
medium in size, heart shaped and TSS 24.5*Brix.
•Washinghton
•Mahaboobnagar

20. HYBRIDS:
Arkasahan:Annona atemoya X A. squamosa
Released from IIHR, Bangalore. Suitable for
drought prone areas. Fruits having long shelf life
and slow ripening character.
•African pride: Cherimoya X custard apple
Having good quality fruits.
•TROPICAL SUN:
Recently released variety.
Released from Australian Custard apple growers
association(ACAGA). Suitable for home gardens.
Ripening at room temperature.

21. PLANTING:
The custard apple fruits are planting in the
square or triangular systems.
After 1 or 2 rains the saplings are planted in the
centre of the pit.
Time of planting : During June-July.
Pit size 60 X 60 X 60 cm
Spacing 4 X 4 m or 5 X 5 m or 6 X 6 m

22. MANURE AND FERTILIZER:
Application of nutrients to custard apple
depends upon the soil and climatic conditions.
Custard apple trees are well response to
fertilizer application in terms of increased vigour,
production.
Age of
tree(year)
N (kg/ha.) P (kg/ha.) K (kg/ha.)
1-2 year 75 50 50
3-5 year 150 100 100
> 5 year 250 125 125

23. PROPAGATION:
Propagated by both seeds and vegetative
propagation.
1. Seed propagation:
 Seeds extracted from ripe fruits are used for
sowing.
 Viability of seeds lasts for 3-4 years through
best seeds give best germination.
 Before seed sowing seeds are treated, such
as seeds soaking in cold water for 40-70hours
are treatment with GA3(500ppm), improve the
germination rate.

24. 2. Vegetative propagation:
Grafting: In-situ cleft grafting is used, using the
best root stock are Annona cherimola and
Annona squamosa.
Budding: Patch, Shield and Clip budding.

25. TRAINING AND PRUNING:
Strong tree frame work in custard apple is obtained by
training young plants during the initial stages of growth.
Keeping single stem up to 50 – 70 cm height and then
inducing scaffold branches in all directions makes good
frame work of tree.
To avoid crowding, proper space among the branches
is maintained by removing criss- cross and over lapping
branches.
Custard apple generally bears on the new growth but
sometimes fruiting also comes on old branches.
Therefore, suitable combination of young and old
branches should be maintained by judicious pruning and
which balancing the vegetative and reproductive growth.

26. FLOWERING AND FRUITSET:
Plants starts bearing after 3-4 years.
Flowering period commences from March-April
and continuous to July – August, the peak timing
April and May.
Very low fruit set in custard apple is a problem
under natural conditions, 1 – 8% fruit set is
reported.
The main reason being poor pollination due to
various external and internal factors like
dichogamy, hypogyny.

27. The external factors like high and low humidity
prevailing at the time of flowering, soil moisture
stress.
 Hand pollination can be practiced to increase
fruit set to get better sized fruit and ensure better
market price.
Fruits can be improved by application of growth
regulators, GA (50ppm) at blooming stage, Biocil
(1ml/ litre) just prior to flowering.

28. HARVESTING AND POSTHARVEST
MANAGEMENT:
Custard apple is a climacteric fruit, which ripens
after harvesting hence should be harvested at
matured stage.
Fruits mature in about 100 -120 days from
anthesis.
Maturity indices:
Changing fruit colour in to light green.
Fruits has attained full size.
Yellowish white colour has been developed
between the segments.
Initial cracking in carpels.

29. Post-harvest management:
Fruit has very poor shelf life therefore for distant
markets.
Harvesting comparatively harder fruits is
advised.
Fruits harvested before proper maturity do not
ripe well and remain less sweet.
Arkasahana has better shelf life.
YIELD:
A well-managed grown up custard apple plant can
produce 80- 100 fruits/ tree. Arkasahana hybrid
produces 25tonnes fruits/ ha. Older trees rarely
exceed 100 fruits/ tree unless hand pollination.

30. INSECT:
1. Mealy bugs: Planococcus pacificus
The pest has been noticed in harbouring on
young shoots and in between the fruit segments.
The blemished fruits do not fetch premium in the
market.
To control the meal bug, spray the plantation with
0.05% dichlorvos.
2. Annona Seed Borer: Bephratilloides cubensis

31. DISEASE:
1. Anthracnnose:
It is caused due to Glomeralla cingulata. The disease is at
Udaipur.
The disease can be controlled by three fortnightly sprays
of benlate (0.05%) or bavistin (0.05%) as soon as the
symptoms appear.
2. Leaf spot:
It is caused by Alternaria sp. The disease appears in Nov.
at the far end of harvesting, thus cause considerable loss
in production. The affected leaves drop prematurely.
British Guinea and Red Sitaphal are moderately
susceptible to this disease.
The disease can be controlled by three fortnightly sprays
of benlate (0.05%) or bavistin (0.05%) as soon as the
symptoms appear.