Sharifa is cultivated for its sweet and tasty fruit. It is also called cilantro, sugar apple or custard apple, and its botanical name is Annonschamosa. From which a special kind of smell comes out, due to which no animal eats its plant, nor do the plants need much care. Diseases and harmful insects are also less on the custard plant. It was believed that the custard apple is a fruit of Indian origin. Still, its tree was brought from another country long ago, and it is being cultivated all over India. In South India, the custard apple grows on its own.
Soil Requirements
Cultivating custard apples can be done in any type of soil, but to get a good yield, it should be grown in loamy soil with good drainage. Do not cultivate custard apples in waterlogged and clay soil. Because in waterlogging, there is an increased risk of getting insects on the plants in many ways. The P.H. of the land in the cultivation of Sitaphal. The value is from 5.5 to 7. Moreover, New Holland 3230 is a suitable tractor for farmers.
Climate & Temperature
Cultivate Sitaphal in dry climates because its plant develops more heat and cannot tolerate much cold. The fruit custard apple requires warm weather to ripen, and the fruit remains excellent even if it is matured in hot weather, but the taste of the fruit becomes bitter in cold weather.
Germination of Sharifa plants occurs at an average temperature, and its plant can tolerate a maximum temperature of 40 degrees only. If the temperature is more than 40 during the formation of fruits and flowers on plants, then both flowers and fruits start falling.
Field Preparation
Before cultivating Sitaphal, prepare the field. For this, deep ploughing is done through Palau to remove the existing crop residues in the area. After this, two to three-slant ploughing is done by applying a cultivator. Now the field is driven by putting a spit. By planting, the earthen lumps present in the area are broken, and the land becomes level. After preparing the pit, organic and chemical fertilizers are added to it. Finally, mix manure with soil, fill it in the holes, and rinse the cavities. Moreover, Eicher 380 is another tractor for all farming tasks.
Seed Preparation
Except for the red variety of Sharif, all types are prepared by pen. Because the plant designed by the cutting starts producing fruits after two years. Grafting methods and shield budding are used to prepare cilantro plants through cuttings. Both these methods are adopted at different times. The shield budding method is adopted from January to June, and the grafting method is adopted from October to November. You can also buy its pen from a registered nursery instead of making it ready. By purchasing and planting plants, time will be saved, and fruit production will also be available quickly.
Irrigation
After transplanting cilantro plants, they should be irrigated immediately. After that, its plants need little irrigation. Still, in a year, the cilantro plants must be watered 10 to 12 times. In the winter, give 15 to 20 irrigations to the plants, and in the summer season, water the plants once a week. Irrigation is done according to the need during the rainy season. Apart from this, to maintain moisture during the formation of fruits on the plants, keep rinsing the plants lightly.
Transplanting Method
Planting of cilantro plants is done in the pits prepared in the field. To plant the plants in these pits, make another small pit in the middle of the big hole, then plant the plant in this pit. Cow urine is used to treat the pit before planting. After this, they grow the plant and cover it with soil. The month of July is the most suitable for planting cilantro plants. Because during this, the rainy season is there, and plants get a proper environment for growth.
Weed Control
Three to four weeks after transplanting, light weeding of the field is done to protect the cilantro plants from weeds. The plant grows well by hoeing. To cultivate custard apples, two to three hoeing should be done in a year. Apart from this, plough the vacant land after the rainy season, so the weeds in the field are destroyed.
Diseases & Treatment
A strange smell emanates from the cilantro plants due to no outbreak of disease or disease on their plants. If flowers start to drop from plants during fruiting, stop watering. Keep harvesting the fruits at the right time because their fruit starts rotting very soon.
Harvesting
It takes some time to bear fruit on cilantro trees. Flowers start coming on their plants in March and keep coming until July. After this, it takes 4 months for the fruits to come. Ripening of fruits begins after September. When the flowers have blossomed on the cilantro plants, then 50 ppm should be applied to them. Sprinkle Gibberellic Acid. The fully ripe fruit of the custard apple is complex, and a space appears in the middle of the fruit formed on the fruit. Under-ripe fruits are pretty bitter, so do not break ripe fruits.
