Breeding of Fruit and Plantation Crops

Sapota

• Sapota : Achras zapota.,
• Family : Sapotaceae
• Chromosome number is 2n=2x=26.


• It is a wind pollinated crop. Flowers are protogyny and the stigma grows out of the bud about two days before anthesis. Flowers open between 4-4.30 a.m. Anthers dehisce between 8-10 p.m. The flowers keep fresh for nearly two days. The stigma is found to be receptive two days before opening and continues to be like that up to 12 hours after opening. Peak receptivity is between 8-10 a.m. The total time taken from fruit set to maturity is 10-12 months under North Indian Conditions but in Tamil Nadu it takes only 4-5 months.


• Flowers are emasculated and bagged before 4-5 p.m and well before the stigma protrudes out of the bud. The actual procedure consists of making a circular incision around the flower bud with sharp knife or blade, so that 2/3 of the upper floral cup is removed including the portions of calyx, corolla and epipetalous stamens. The style is left in position in remaining1/3rd of the floral cup. Stamens from male parent, which should shed their pollen in the early hours of next day, are collected in the previous day evening and kept over night in a petridish. These are used to pollinate the receptive stigma of the emasculated flower between 8-10 a.m in the next day.



Breeding objectives

• The main emphasis on breeding of sapota are to develop dwarf stature trees with precocity in bearing, high yield and high keeping quality of less seeded fruits with less latex