Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
atemoya (Fig. 6.1). Leaves are 10-25.4 cm long, light green and arranged
alternately. Leaves tend to fall before spring, and many people call it a semi-
deciduous plant.
The sweetsop (
A. squamosa
L.), also called sugar apple, probably originated
in the Caribbean region and is the most widely distributed and also the most
commonly grown
Annona
species in the tropical regions of the Americas,
Africa, Asia and the Pacifi c. It is less tolerant of cold temperatures than
the cherimoya but more tolerant than the soursop, as it is found thriving
in subtropical areas, such as the coastal areas of south Florida. The fruit
is frequently found in village markets but has not shown any potential for
large commercial cultivation, due to the small fruit size, frequent cracking at
maturity and poor shelf-life. It is intensively cultivated in Taiwan, where about
5000 ha are planted, producing around 50,000 tonnes; the peak harvest is
between July and March
The tree is normally smaller than the cherimoya, attaining heights of
3.0-4.6 m, with slender branches. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, narrower
than those of the cherimoya and 10-15 cm long (Fig. 6.1). All leaves are shed
before new shoots appear. Flowers are axillary, in clusters of two to four on
leafy shoots (Fig. 6.1). Fruit set is better than in the cherimoya.
The fruit is more nearly heart-shaped, 5-10 cm in diameter. It is yellowish-
green in colour, but a purple-fruited variant is also known. The exterior parts
of adjacent carpels are not completely fused, and these rounded protuberances
3 mm
Fig. 6.1.
Leaves, axillary buds and
fl
ower of sweetsop. The
fi
gure shows the buried
nature of axillary buds, which can be vegetative or a mixed
fl
ower and vegetative
bud. The leaf must abscise before the bud can develop, the same as in atemoya and
cherimoya.
