Download Cherimoya (Annona cherimola)

1
VICARP R & D INFORMATION SHEETS
Printed with official permission from PCARRD, the PROSEA representative in the Philippines
Sources of Information:
Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA)
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resources Research & Development (PCARRD)
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Department of Agriculture (Batangas Provincial Office)
CHERIMOYA (Annona cherimola)
ATIS (Annona squamosa)
ATEMOYA (A. cherimola x A. Squamosa)
The cherimoya is considered a “masterpiece of nature”.
The name comes form the Peruvian “chirimuya” which
means “cold seeds”. The atis is a drought-hardy small
tree. The atemoya, on the other hand, is a hybrid of the
atis and the cherimoya.
Description
The cherimoya is a beautiful, lush-looking tree, 3-10 m
tall. It has oval-shaped leaves and pale yellow, fragrant
flowers. The pale-green fruits are round or heart-shaped
with a bumpy surface. Its flesh is white, creamytextured, sweet, delicately flavored, delicious, and
pleasantly aromatic. It has numerous brown-black seeds.
The atis stands 3-6 m tall. The leaves are smaller than those of the cherimoya and the flowers are green. The fruit is
irregularly heart-shaped, light yellowish-green with a rough lumpy skin.
The flesh is sweet, white, juicy, and delightfully aromatic. Its disagreeable feature, however, is the presence of many
small black seeds. This discourages people from eating the fruit.
The atemoya has acquired the adaptability of the atis to warm or hot climates. It has also inherited the exquisite fruit
characters of both the atis and the cherimoya.
The heart-shaped or round fruits have a yellowish-green skin. Its white, juicy flesh contains a perfect blend of mild
acidity and sweetness. Unlike the atis, it has fewer brown or black seeds.
Variety
There are several recommended cherimoya cultivars. From California are ‘Bays’ and ‘White’; from Spain, ‘Fino de
Jete’; and from New Zealand are ‘Reretai’, ‘Burton’, and ‘Burton’s Wonder’.
As regards atis, tree types are grown in the country. These are the common green-fruited seeded type, the greenfruited seedless type, and the purple-fruited seeded type. Recent introductions from Thailand include ‘Nang Thong’
which is yellow-fruited and easy-to-peel and ‘Nang Khiew’ which is green-fruited.
As for atemoya, there are two major varieties from Australia, namely ‘Pink’s Mammoth’ and ‘African Pride’.
‘Pink’s Mammoth’ has irregularly-shaped but sweeter and more aromatic fruits than ‘African Pride’. However,
‘African Pride’ bears fruit much earlier and has higher yields. For warmer, semitropical conditions, ‘Geffner’ from
Israel is recommended.
2
VICARP R & D INFORMATION SHEETS
Printed with official permission from PCARRD, the PROSEA representative in the Philippines
Sources of Information:
Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA)
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resources Research & Development (PCARRD)
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Department of Agriculture (Batangas Provincial Office)
Uses
Fruits are eaten fresh or mixed with other fruits to make a refreshing salad. They are also processed into drinks,
purees, sherbets, ice cream, and pies.
Soil and Climatic Requirements
All three crops grown on a wide range of soil types, but perform best when grown on sand or sandy loam soils.
The cold-hardly cherimoya prefers a subtropical climate. It grows well in the highlands above 1,000 m with a dry
season.
The drought-hardy atis, on the other hand, grows well on the tropics up to 1,000-m elevation.
Like the cherimoya, the atemoya thrives best in area up to 1.000-m elevation and grows well in a warm or hot
climate. However, it needs relatively high humidity during flowering.
Cultural Management
Propagation. Cleft grafting is the most common method used. However, patch budding during the cool and dry
season (November to February) is recommended.
Planting. For cherimoya and atemoya, adapt a spacing of 8 m x 6 m or 6 m x 4 m. For atis, spacing is at 5 m x 3 m
0r 4 m x 3 m.
Irrigation. Water well from flowering to harvest. Do not overwater, however, as trees are prone to root rot.
Fertilization. To accelerate growth of the tree and increase fruit production, regularly apply manure and NPK
fertilizer. For mature, fruiting trees apply 2-4 kg potash/year. For boron-deficient plants, use borax at 2 g/m 2. Where
zinc is deficient, fertilize with .1% zinc spray at monthly intervals.
Pruning. For actively growing trees, allow two principal branches to develop and assume the shape of a vase.
However, if growth is weak maintain only one central branch. Remove branches that form a sharp V-angle to the
main trunk, as these are prone to splitting. Cut back long, slender, unproductive branches and remove the dense,
uppermost leaves to enhance the development of flowering side shoots.
Pests and diseases. The most destructive pest is the fruit-boring moth. Other pests include the mealy bugs, fruit
flies, spotting bugs, and scales. Use an integrated pest management program to control these pests.
The most serious root disease affecting the tree is bacterial wilt. It has no known chemical control. The major fruit
diseases include the black canker, diplodia rot, and purple blotch. To control, spray with mancozeb or copper
oxychloride.
3
VICARP R & D INFORMATION SHEETS
Printed with official permission from PCARRD, the PROSEA representative in the Philippines
Sources of Information:
Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA)
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resources Research & Development (PCARRD)
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Department of Agriculture (Batangas Provincial Office)
Harvesting and Postharvest Handling
Atis is a consistent high yielder producing 10-15 t/ha per year. Atemoya and cherimoya have variable yearly yields
ranging from 5-20 t/ha.
Harvests fruits when the space between some corrugations turns cream and when these corrugations become
smoother and less rounded. Clip the fruits from the tree, wrap them individually in soft materials like newspaper,
and pack them in shallow trays or in bamboo baskets lined with banana leaves.
After harvesting, the fruits remain fit for consumption for only two to five days at normal conditions. To prolong
shelf life to two weeks, store at 15oC and at high humidity.
Source:
PROSEA Leaflet No. 5. 1992
ISBN 971-20-0238-1