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Tropical Plant "Cherimoya"
Annona Cherimola
Certainly the most esteemed of the fruits of the genus Annona
(family Annonaceae), the cherimoya, A. cherimola Mill.,
because of its limited distribution, has acquired few colloquial
names, and most are merely local variations in spelling, such
as chirimoya, cherimolia, chirimolla, cherimolier,
cherimoyer. In Venezuela, it is called chirimorrinon;
in Brazil, graveola, graviola, or grabiola; and
in Mexico, pox or poox; in Belize, tukib;
in El Salvador it is sometimes known as anona poshte;
and elsewhere merely as anona, or anona blanca.
In France, it is anone; in Haiti, cachiman la Chine.
Indian names in Guatemala include pac, pap, tsummy and
tzumux. The name, cherimoya, is sometimes misapplied
to the less-esteemed custard apple, A. reticulata L.
In Australia it is often applied to the atemoya (a cherimoya-sugar
apple hybrid). Cherimoya Description
The
tree is erect but low branched and somewhat shrubby or spreading;
ranging from 16 to 30 ft (5 to 9 m) in height; and its young
branchlets are rusty-hairy. The leaves are briefly deciduous
(just before spring flowering), alternate, 2-ranked, with
minutely hairy petioles 1/4 to 1/2 in (6 to 12.5 mm) long;
ovate to elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, short blunt-pointed
at the apex; slightly hairy on the upper surface, velvety
on the underside; 3 to 6 in (7.5-15 cm) long, 1 1/2 to 3 1/2
in (3.8-8.9 cm) wide.
Fragrant
flowers, solitary or in groups of 2 or 3, on short, hairy
stalks along the branches, have 3 outer, greenish, fleshy,
oblong, downy petals to 1 1/4 in (3 cm) long and 3 smaller,
pinkish inner petals. A compound fruit, the cherimoya is conical
or somewhat heart-shaped, 4 to 8 in (10 to 20 cm) long and
up to 4 in (10 cm) in width, weighing on the average 5 1/2
to 18 oz (150-500 g) but extra large specimens may weigh 6
lbs (2.7 kg) or more.
The
skin, thin or thick, may be smooth with fingerprint like markings
or covered with conical or rounded protuberances. The fruit
is easily broken or cut open, exposing the snow-white, juicy
flesh, of pleasing aroma and delicious, subacid flavor; and
containing numerous hard, brown or black, beanlike, glossy
seeds, 1/2 to 3/4 in (1.25 to 2 cm) long.
Cherimoya Origin
and Distribution
The
cherimoya is believed indigenous to the interandean valleys
of Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. In Bolivia, it flourishes
best around Mizque and Ayopaya, in the Department of Cochabamba,
and around Luribay, Sapahaqui and Rio Abajo in the Department
of La Paz. Its cultivation must have spread in ancient times
to Chile and Brazil for it has become naturalized in highlands
throughout these countries.
Many
authors include Peru as a center of origin but others assert
that the fruit was unknown in Peru until after seeds were
sent by P. Bernabe Cobo from Guatemala in 1629 and that thirteen
years after this introduction the cherimoya was observed in
cultivation and sold in the markets of Lima. The often-cited
representations of the cherimoya on ancient Peruvian pottery
are actually images of the soursop, A. muricata L.
Cobo sent seeds to Mexico also in 1629. There it thrives between
4,000 and 5,000 ft (1312-1640 m) elevations.
It
is commonly grown and naturalized in temperate areas of Costa
Rica and other countries of Central America. In Argentina,
the cherimoya is mostly grown in the Province of Tucuman.
In 1757, it was carried to Spain where it remained a dooryard
tree until the 1940's and 1950's when it gained importance
in the Province of Granada, in the Sierra Nevada mountains,
as a replacement for the many orange trees that succumbed
to disease and had to be taken out. By 1953, there were 262
acres (106 ha) of cherimoyas in this region.
In
1790 the cherimoya was introduced into Hawaii by Don Francisco
de Paulo Marin. It is still casually grown in the islands
and naturalized in dry upland forests. In 1785, it reached
Jamaica, where it is cultivated and occurs as an escape on
hillsides between 3,500 and 5,000 ft (1,066-1,524 m). It found
its way to Haiti sometime later.
The first planting in Italy was in 1797 and it became a favored
crop in the Province of Reggio Calabria. The tree has been
tried several times in the Botanic Gardens, Singapore first
around 1878-but has always failed to survive because of the
tropical climate. In the Philippines, it does well in the
Mountain Province at an altitude above 2,460 ft (750 m). It
was introduced into India and Ceylon in 1880 and there is
small-scale culture in both countries at elevations between
1,500 and 7,000 ft (457-2,134 m). The tree was planted in
Madeira in 1897, then in the Canary Islands, Algiers, Egypt
and, probably via Italy, in Libya, Eritrea and Somalia.
The
United States Department of Agriculture imported a number
of lots of cherimoya seeds from Madeira in 1907 (S.P.I. Nos.
19853, 19854, 19855, 19898, 19901, 19904, 19905).
Seeds
from Mexico were planted in California in 1871. There were
9,000 trees in that state in 1936 but many of them were killed
by a freeze in 1937. Several small commercial orchards were
established in the 1940's. At present there may be less than
100 acres (42 ha) in the milder parts of San Diego County.
Seeds, seedlings and grafted trees from California and elsewhere
have been planted in Florida many times but none has done
well. Any fruits produced have been of poor quality.
Cherimoya Varieties
In
Peru, cherimoyas are classed according to degree of surface
irregularity, as: 'Lisa', almost smooth; 'Impresa',
with "fingerprint" depressions; 'Umbonada', with rounded
protrusions; 'Papilonado', or 'Tetilado', with
fleshy, nipple-like protrusions; 'Tuberculada', with
conical protrusions having wartlike tips. At the Agricultural
Experiment Station "La Molina", several named and unnamed
selections collected in northern Peru are maintained and evaluated.
Among the more important are: #1, 'Chavez', fruits
up to 3.3 lbs (1 1/2 kg); February to May; #2, 'Names',
fruits January to April; #3, 'Sander', fruits with
moderate number of seeds; July and early August; #4, fruit
nearly smooth, not many seeds, 1.1 to 2.2 lbs (1/2-1 kg),
June to August; #5, nearly smooth, very sweet, 2.2 Ibs (1
kg), March to June; #6, fruit with small protuberances, 1.1
to 2.2 Ibs (1/2-1 kg), not many seeds; #7 fruit small, very
sweet, many seeds, March to May; #8, fruit very sweet, 1.1
to 2.2 Ibs (1/2 1 kg), with very few seeds, February to April.
In
the Department of Antioquia, Colombia, a cultivar called 'Rio
Negro' has heart shaped fruits weighing 1 3/4 to 2.2 Ibs
(0.8-1 kg). The cherimoyas of Mizque, Cochabamba, Bolivia,
are locally famed for their size and quality. 'Concha Lisa'
and 'Bronceada' are grown commercially in Chile. Other
cultivars mentioned in Chilean literature are 'Concha Picuda'
and 'Terciopelo'.
Dr.
Ernesto Saavedra, University of Chile, after ex perimenting
with growth regulators for 4 years, developed a super cherimoya,
4 to 6 in (10-15 cm) wide and weighing up to 4 Ibs (1.8 kg);
symmetrical, easy to peel and seedless, hence having 25% more
flesh than an ordinary cherimoya. However, the larger fruits
are subject to cracking.
The
leading commercial cultivars in Spain are 'Pinchua' (thin-skinned)
and 'Baste' (thick-skinned.)
Named
cultivars in California include:
'Bays'-rounded,
fingerprinted, light green, medium to large, of excellent
flavor; good bearer; early.
'Whaley'-long-conical,
sometimes shouldered at the base, slightly and irregularly
tuberculate, with fairly thick, downy skin. Of good flavor,
but membranous sac around each seed may adhere to flesh. Bears
well; grown commercially; early.
'Deliciosa'-long-conical,
prominently papillate; skin tbin, slightly downy; variable
in flavor; only fair in quality; generally bears well but
doesn't ship well; cold-resistant. Midseason.
'Booth'-short-conical,
fingerprinted, medium to large; of good flavor; next to 'Deliciosa
in hardiness. Late.
'McPherson'-short
conical, fingerprinted but umbonate at the base; medium to
large; of high quality; bears well. Midseason.
'Carter'-long-conical,
but not shouldered; smooth or faintly fingerprinted; skin
green to bronze; bears well. Late. Leaves wavy or twisted.
'Ryerson'-long-conical,
smooth or fingerprinted, with tbick, tough, green or yellow
green skin; of fair quality; ships well. Leaves wavy or twisted.
'White'-short-conical
with rounded apex; slightly papil late to umbonate; medium
to large; skin medium thick; of good flavor; doesn t bear
well near the coast.
'Chaffey'-introduced
in 1940s; rounded, short, finger printed; of medium size;
excellent quality; bears well, even without hand-pollination.
'Ott'-(Patent
#656)-introduced in 1940's; long conical to heart shaped,
slightly tuberculate; of excellent flavor; ships well.
Among
others that have been planted in California but considered
inferior are: 'Horton', 'Golden Russet',
'Loma', 'Mire Vista', 'Sallmon'.
Cherimoya Pollination
A
problem with the cherimoya is inadequate natural pollination
because the male and female structures of each flower do not
mature simultaneously. Few insects visit the flowers. Therefore,
hand-pollination is highly desirable and must be done in a
6- to 8-hour period when the stigmas are white and sticky.
It has been found in Chile that in the first flowers to open
the pollen grains are loaded with starch, whereas flowers
that open later have more abundant pollen, no starch grains,
and the pollen germinates readily.
Partly-opened flowers are collected in the afternoon and kept
in a paper bag overnight. The next morning the shed pollen
is put, together with moist paper, in a vial and transferred
by brush to the receptive stigmas. Usually only a few of the
flowers on a tree are pollinated each time, the operation
being repeated every 4 or 5 days in order to extend the season
of ripening. The closely related A. senegalensis Pers.,
if available, is a good source of abundant pollen for pollinating
the cherimoya. The pollen of the sugar apple is not satisfactory.
Fruits from hand-pollinated flowers will be superior in form
and size.
Cherimoya Climate
The
cherimoya is subtropical or mild-temperate and does not succeed
in the lowland tropics. It requires long days. In Colombia
and Ecuador, it grows naturally at elevations between 4,600
and 6,600 ft (1,400-2,000 m) where the temperature ranges
between 62.6° and 68°F (17°-20°C). In Peru, the ideal climate
for the cherimoya is said to lie between 64.5° and 77°F (18°-25°C)
in the summer and 64.5° and 41°F (18°-5°C) in winter. In Guatemala,
naturalized trees are common between 4,000 and 8,200 ft (1,200-2,500
m) though the tree produces best between 4,000 and 5,900 ft
(1,200-1,800 m) and can be grown at elevations as low as 2,950
ft (900 m).
The
tree cannot survive the cold in the Valle de Mexico at 7,200
ft (2,195 m). In Argentina, young trees are wrapped with dry
grass or burlap during the winter. The cherimoya can tolerate
light frosts. Young trees can withstand a temperature of 26°F
(-3.33°C), but a few degrees lower will severely injure or
kill mature trees. In February 1949, a small scale commercial
grower (B. E. Needham) in Glendora, California, reported that
most of his crop was lost because of frost and snow, the cherimoya
suffering more cold damage than his avocados, oranges or lemons.
The
tree prefers a rather dry environment as in southern Guatemala
where the rainfall is 50 in (127 cm) and there is a long dry
season. It is not adaptable to northern Guatemala where the
100 inch (254 cm) rainfall is spread throughout the year.
Finally,
the tree should be protected from strong winds which interfere
with pollination and fruit set.
Cherimoya Soil
The
cherimoya tree performs well on a wide range of soil types
from light to heavy, but seems to do best on a medium soil
of moderate fertility. In Argentina, it makes excellent growth
on rockstrewn, loose, sandy loam 2 to 3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) above
a gravel subsoil. The optimum pH ranges from 6.5 to 7.6. A
greenhouse trial in sand has demonstrated that the first nutritional
deficiency evoked in such soil is lack of calcium.
Cherimoya Propagation
Cherimoya
seeds, if kept dry, will remain viable for several years.
While the tree is traditionally grown from seed in Latin America,
the tendency of seedlings to produce inferior fruits has given
impetus to vegetative propagation.
Seeds
for rootstocks are first soaked in water for 1 to 4 days and
those that float are discarded. Then planting is done directly
in the nursery row unless the soil is too cool, in which case
the seeds must be placed in sand peat seedbeds, covered with
1 in (2.5 cm) of soil and kept in a greenhouse.
They
will germinate in 3 to 5 weeks and when the plants are 3 to
4 in (7.5-10 cm) high, they are transplanted to pots or the
nursery plot with 20 in (50 cm) between rows. When 12 to 24
months old and dormant, they are budded or grafted and then
allowed to grow to 3 or 4 ft (0.9-1.2 m) high before setting
out in the field. Large seedlings and old trees can be topworked
by cleft-grafting. It is necessary to protect the trunk of
topped trees to avoid sunburn.
The
cherimoya can also be grafted onto the custard apple (A.
reticulata). In India this rootstock has given 90% success.
Cuttings of mature wood of healthy cherimoya trees have rooted
in coral sand with bottom heat in 28 days.
Cherimoya Culture
The
young trees should be spaced 25 to 30 ft (7.5-9 m) apart each
way in pits 20 to 24 in (50-60 cm) wide, enriched with organic
material. In Colombia, corn (maize), vegetables, ornamental
foliage plants, roses or annual flowers for market are interplanted
during the first few years. In Spain, the trees are originally
spaced 16.5 ft (5 m) apart with the intention of later thinning
them out.
Thinning
is not always done and around the village of Jete, where the
finest cherimoyas are produced, the trees have grown so close
together as to form a forest. In the early years they are
interplanted with corn, beans and potatoes.
Pruning
to eliminate low branches, providing a clean trunk up to 32
in (80 cm), to improve form, and open up to sunlight and pesticide
control, is done preferably during dormancy. After 6 months,
fertilizer (10-8-6 N, P, K) is applied at the rate of 1/2
lb (227 g) per tree and again 6 months later at 1 lb (454
g) per tree. In the 3rd year, the fertilizer formula is changed
to 6-10-8 N,P,K and each year thereafter the amount per tree
is increased by 1 lb (454 g) until the level of 5 lbs (2.27
kg) is reached. Thenceforth this amount is continued each
year per tree. The fertilizer is applied in trenches 6 in
(15 cm) deep and 8 in (20 cm) wide dug around each tree at
a distance of 5 ft (1.5 m) from the base, at first; later,
at an appropriately greater distance.
Young
trees are irrigated every 15 to 20 days for the first few
years except during the winter when they must be allowed to
go dormant-ideally for 4 months. When the first leafbuds appear,
irrigation is resumed. With bearing trees, watering is discontinued
as soon as the fruits are full-grown.
In
Chile, attempts to increase fruit set with chemical growth
regulators have been disappointing. Spraying flowers with
gibberellic acid has increased fruit set and improved form
and size but induces deep cracking prior to full maturity,
far beyond the normal rate of cracking in fruits from natural
or hand-pollinated flowers.
Cherimoya Cropping
and Yield
The
cherimoya begins to bear when 3 1/2 to 5 years old and production
steadily increases from the 5th to the 10th year, when there
should be a yield of 25 fruits per tree-2,024 per acre (5,000
per ha). Yields of individual trees have been reported by
eyewitnesses as a dozen, 85, or even 300 fruits annually.
In Colombia, the average yield is 25 fruits; as many as 80
is exceptional. In Italy, trees 30 to 35 years old produce
230 to 280 fruits annually.
The
fruits must be picked when full grown but still firm and just
beginning to show a slight hint of yellowish-green and perhaps
a bronze cast. Bolivians judge that a fruit is at full maturity
by shaking it and listening for the sound of loose seeds.
Italians usually wait for the yellowish hue and the sweet
aroma noticeable at a distance, picking the fruits only 24
to 28 hours prior to consumption. However, if the fruits must
travel to markets in central Italy, they are harvested when
the skin turns from dark-green to lighter green.
In
harvesting, the fruits must be clipped from the branch so
as to leave only a very short stem attached to the fruit to
avoid stem caused damage to the fruits in handling, packing
and shipping.
Cherimoya Keeping
Quality and Storage
Firm
fruits should be held at a temperature of 50°F (10°C) to retard
softening. When transferred to normal room temperature, they
will become soft and ready to eat in 3 to 4 days. Then they
can be kept chilled in the home refrigerator if not to be
consumed immediately. A California grower has shipped cherimoyas
('Deliciosa' and 'Booth') packed in excelsior in 12 lb (5.5-kg)
boxes to Boston and New York quite satisfactorily. And the
fruit has been shipped from Madeira to London for many years.
In
Bolivia, fruits for home use are wrapped in woollen cloth
as soon as picked and kept at room temperature so that they
can be eaten 3 days later.
Cherimoya Pests
and Diseases
The
cherimoya tree is resistant to nematodes. Very few problems
have been noted in California except for infestations of mealybugs,
especially at the base of the fruit, and these can be flushed
off. In Colombia, on the other hand, it is said that a perfectly
healthy tree is a rarity. In the Valle de Tenza, formerly
an important center of production, lack of control of pests
greatly reduced the plantations before 1960 when programs
were launched to improve cherimoya culture here and in various
other regions of the country.
Caterpillars
(Thecla sp. and Oiketicus kubeyi) may defoliate the
tree. A scale insect, Conchaspis angraeci attacks the
trunk and branches. Prime enemies are reported to be fruit
flies (Anastrepha s p. ); leaf miners (Leucoptera
sp.), particularly in the Valle de Tenza, which necessitate
the collection and burning of affected leaves plus the application
of systemic insecticides; and the seed borer (Bephrata
maculicollis).
The latter pest deposits eggs on the surface of the developing
fruits, the larvae invade the fruit and consume the seeds,
causing premature and defective ripening and rendering the
fruits susceptible to fungal diseases. This pest is difficult
to combat. Borers attack the tree in Argentina reducing its
life span from 60 to 30 years.
The
coccid, Pseudococcus filamentosus attacks the
fruit in Hawaii, and Aulacaspis miranda and
Ceropute yuccae in Mexico. In Spain, the thin-skinned
cultivar 'Pinchua' is subject to attack by the Mediterranean
fruit-fly, Ceratitis capitata.
Stored
seeds for planting are subject to attack by weevils. To avoid
damping-off of young seedlings, dusting of seeds with fungicide
is recommended. The tree may succumb to root-rot in clay soils
or where there is too much moisture and insufficient drainage.
Sooty mold may occur on leaves and fruits where ants, aphids
and other insects have deposited honeydew.
Cherimoya Food
Uses
The
flesh of the ripe cherimoya is most commonly eaten out of-hand
or scooped with a spoon from the cut open fruit. It really
needs no embellishment but some people in Mexico like to add
a few drops of lime juice. Occasionally it is seeded and added
to fruit salads or used for making sherbet or ice cream. Colombians
strain out the juice, add a slice of lemon and dilute with
ice-water to make a refreshing soft drink. The fruit has been
fermented to produce an alcoholic beverage.
Cherimoya Toxicity
The
seeds, like those of other Annona species, are crushed
and used as insecticide. Paul Allen, in his Poisonous and
Injurious Plants of Panama, (see Bibliography), implies
personal knowledge of a case of blindness resulting from "the
juice of the crushed seeds coming in contact with the eyes.
" The seeds contain several alkaloids: caffeine, ( + )-reticuline,
(-)-anonaine, liriodenine, and lanuginosine.
Human
ingestion of 0.15 g of the dark-yellow resin isolated from
the seeds produces dilated pupils, intense photophobia, vomiting,
nausea, dryness of the mouth, burning in the throat, flatulence,
and other symptoms resembling the effects of atropine. A dose
of 0.5 g, injected into a medium-sized dog, caused profuse
vomiting.
Wilson
Popenoe wrote that hogs feed on the fallen fruits in southern
Ecuador where there are many cherimoya trees and few people.
One wonders whether the hogs swallow the hard seeds whole
and avoid injury.
The
twigs possess the same alkaloids as the seeds plus michelalbine.
A team of pharmacognosists in Spain and France has reported
8 alkaloids in the leaves: ( + )-isoboldine, (-)-stepholidine,
( + )-corytuberine, ( + ) nornantenine, ( + )-reticuline,
(-)-anonaine, liriodenine, and lanuginosine.
Cherimoya Other
Uses
In
Jamaica, the dried flowers have been used as flavoring for
snuff.
Medicinal
Uses: In Mexico, rural people toast, peel and pulverize
1 or 2 seeds and take the powder with water or milk as a potent
emetic and cathartic. Mixed with grease, the powder is used
to kill lice and is applied on parasitic skin disorders. A
decoction of the skin of the fruit is taken to relieve pneumonia.
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