Tropical and Subtropical Fruits - Horticulture: Plants for People and Places - page 137

Fig. 5.3 Cherimoya fruit
Edaphoclimatic Requirements for Production
Soil Requirements
Cherimoya and other species of agronomic interest in the genus Annona , such as the
guanabana or soursop ( A. muricata ), the sugar apple or sweetsop ( A. squamosa ),
the custard apple ( A. reticulata ) , or the atemoya (a hybrid between A. cherimola and
A. squamosa ), can grow in a wide variety of soil types, from sandy to clay loams,
although they perform better in a well-drained sandy loam soil with good drainage
to avoid potential root rot problems. Cherimoya is able to tolerate some levels of
alkalinity preferring a range of pH between 7.5 and 8.5 and carbonate contents up
to 30 %, although, in the latter, additional applications of iron are needed (Guirado
et al. 2003 ). Studies in Spain (Farré et al. 1999 ) indicate that a yield of 14 t/ha can
extract 95 kg/ha of N, 4.6 kg/ha of P, 38 kg/ha of K, 9 kg/ha of Ca and 27.5 kg/ha
of Mg from the soil. Usually there is a need to apply Fe (about 4-5 kg/ha/year) to
cherimoya crops to avoid iron chlorosis.
Climatic Requirements
Cherimoyas grow in the subtropical strata (1.300-2.300 m.a.s.l.) of the Neotropics,
a region characterized by dry winters and wet summers. Optimum mean annual
temperatures for A. cherimola range from 16 °C to 20 °C, although cherimoya is