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SAPOTA
(Manilkara zapota)
Sapota
requires a temperature range of 11 to 34ºC and
an annual precipitation of 225-375 cm. It can be grown
in all types of soil but well drained soil is necessary
for good growth.
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Cricket
Ball, Oval, Co-1, Co-2, Badami, Baramasi, Calcutta Round,
Pala and PKM-1.
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Propagation
It is propagated through layers and grafts. Manilkara
hexandra (khirni) is the best rootstock for inarching
sapota.
Season
The season of planting is May-June. Planting should
be avoided during the periods of heavy rains.
Planting
Planting is done in pits of 60 x 60 x 60 cm at a square
spacing of 7-8 m.
Training and pruning
No pruning is necessary; but in old trees, lower branches
can be removed up to 1 m height.
Flowering
and fruiting
The tree flowers continuously in several flushes at
short intervals throughout the year. But there are
two seasons when flowers will be produced profusely
i.e., October to November and February to March. Grafted
sapota begins to bear in the third year after planting.
Fruit production increases with age up to 30 years
followed by a decline. Fruits mature about 4 months
after flowering.
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Irrigation
Irrigation may not be necessary except during the early
stages and in the hot weather; but good crops can be
obtained with irrigation.
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Manuring
The recommended nutrient dosage for a full-grown sapota
tree per year is:
FYM 5 kg
N:P2O5:K2O 500:360:750 g
Apply
FYM in May-June with the onset of monsoon. Apply the
fertilizers in two equal split doses, the first during
May-June and the second during August-September.
Apply
the manures and fertilizers in trenches 30 cm deep taken
at a distance of 1 m from the base of the tree.
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Mature
fruits, which are dull brown in colour, are harvested
and stored for about five days before they are fully
ripened for consumption. Ripe fruits can be kept for
about 5 to 7 days.
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