Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
It produces good yields of small to medium-sized fruit. 'Bullock's Heart' (an
atemoya) is similar to 'Pink's Mammoth'. 'Island Gem' is an early-maturing,
small-fruited, heavy yielder. Two new cultivars developed in Australia are
'Maroochy Gold' and 'KJ Pinks', which have superseded the old, above-
mentioned cultivars (George and Paull, 2008). In Florida they developed the
cultivars 'Bradley' and 'Page'. The former produces small-sized fruit with
relatively smooth and thin skin. The latter produces medium-sized, well-
shaped fruit with prominent skin segments. 'Gefner', an Israeli cultivar, is the
main cultivar grown in Florida and Hawaii; it produces small to medium-sized
fruit resembling 'Page'.
In order to develop cultivars adapted to cooler environments, Australia
has concentrated on self-progenies and interspecifi c crosses of
A.
cherimola
with
A. reticulata
and
A. diversifolia
.
Progenies of
A. cherimoya
-
A. reticulata
crosses are late-maturing, showing fl owering and fruiting characteristics of
A. reticulata
,
which fl owers in the autumn and has mature fruit in late spring.
Selections possessing most of the fruit qualities of commercial cultivars have
been established in various areas for evaluation.
India and Taiwan have produced a few named cultivars of
A. squamosa
that are propagated vegetatively. The main Taiwan cultivars are 'Ruan-zhi',
'Cu-lin', 'Da-mu', 'Tainung no. 1' and 'Xi-lin'. Indian cultivars include 'Arka
Sahan', 'Barbadose Seedling', 'Washington', 'Red Sitaphal', 'Balanagar',
'Mammoth', 'Purandhar' and 'Arka'. Thailand has developed 'Fai Kaew', 'Fai
Krung', 'Nang Kaew', 'Nang Sir Krung' and 'Nang Thong'. In Florida they
selected 'Lessard', 'Kampong Mauve' and 'Red Sugar', and they also plant
'Cuban Seedless', a cultivar developed in Cuba that is seedless with medium-
sized fruit; there is another Cuban cultivar that is low in fi bre content. Seedling
populations have been established in Taiwan to select superior lines with
better yield, quality, early maturity and higher edible fl esh ratio and better
postharvest behaviour (Chen and Paull, 2008).
CULTURAL PRACTICES
Propagation
The
Annonas
, except for the cherimoya and atemoya, are usually propagated
by seed (George and Nissen, 1987b). There is a rapid loss of seed viability (6
months), and seeds should be planted as soon as possible after removal from
the fruit. Cherimoya seeds can take up to 30 days to germinate, and GA
treatment (10,000 ppm) can signifi cantly increase germination and enhance
seedling growth (Duarte
et al.
, 1974b). Seedlings require at least 3-4 years to
bear fruit (Sanewski, 1991). In some seed lots, germination occurs quickly,
while in other lots it can take several months; therefore ideally it is better to
use fresh seeds in all
Annonas
.
