Ramphal

Common names: Jamaican apple, bullock’s heart, netted custard apple, luvun, nonai, ramphal
Crushed leaves/paste used for internal and external wounds and boils
Leaf decoction used in gastritis
Leaf juice used as a vermifuge
Unripe dried fruits use

Pulp: Creamy yellow, sweet, low acidity, poor flavor compared to cherimoya and sugar apple
Nutritional composition per 100g: 76.2g water, 1.1-1.8g protein, 0.33g lipids, 18.7g carbohydrates, 2.6g fiber, 0.38-0.77g total acidity, 56-98 calories energy, 21-24.0mg calcium, 20-27mg phosphorus, 0.4-1.0mg iron, 0.28mg vitamin A, 28-32mg ascorbic acid, 0.26% fat

Native to the West Indies
Carried to Central America and southern Mexico in early times
Found naturally cultivated in Peru and Brazil
Commercially grown in the Bahamas, Bermuda, southern Florida
Introduced to African and Asian countries many years ago
Widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions
In India, commercially used as a table fruit and cultivated in Bengal and southern parts

Growth Habit: Erect, 5.0-8.5m height, rounded or spreading crown, cylindrical trunk and stems with lenticels and short coffee-colored hairs
Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, oblong or narrow lanceolate, 15-25cm x 2-5.6cm, with 10-20 conspicuous pairs of veins
Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, oblong or narrow lanceolate, 15-25cm x 2-5.6cm, with 10-20 conspicuous pairs of veins
Flowers: Axillary, drooping clusters (3-10), mild fragrance, 3 fleshy and narrow yellowish-green petals (2-3cm long), light green externally, pale yellow with a dark red or purple spot at the base, pedicels 1.5-3.0cm
Flowering: July to October (wet to dry season)
Fruit: Compound, 0.1-0.8kg weight, 8-16cm diameter, 10-12cm length, symmetrically heart-shaped, conical, irregular, or nearly round/oblate with a basal depression, reddish-yellow surface, coriaceous, impressed lines above the carpels, thick cream-white custard-like granular pulp surrounding moderately juicy segments, 45-75 hard, brown or black, glossy seeds (<1.25cm long)

Prefers warm, humid (tropical) climate for growth and fruit development
Also survives well in subtropical conditions
Frost and cool-sensitive, less drought-tolerant than custard apple
Grows from sea level to 1,500m in Central and South America
In India and the subcontinent, grows from plains up to 1,220m elevation
Sheds leaves at the onset of cold weather and goes dormant
Can survive 32°C without serious harm but with low bearing and fruiting
Not very drought-tolerant, prefers more humid atmosphere than other Annona species
Well-adapted to adverse soil conditions, pH 5.0-8.0
Survives best in low-lying, deep, rich soils with ample moisture and good drainage
Reported to be a good rootstock for cherimoya and soursop

Propagated by sexual (seeds) and asexual methods
Seeds should be from mother plants with high yield, good fruit quality, and biotic/abiotic stress resistance
Uneven and irregular seed germination, rapid loss of viability (6-7 months)
Seeds germinate within 30-35 days after sowing
Seedlings require 3-4 years for fruit bearing
Seed scarification and water immersion improve germination
GA3 (10,000 ppm) significantly increases seed germination
Commercially propagated by budding (shield, inverted T) and grafting (splice, cleft) with 45-80% success
Grafted and budded plants grow faster and bear earlier than seedlings
Maximum bud take in August (74.44%), followed by July (69.99%) and April (65.55%)

Conventional methods like selection and introduction of superior genotypes/cultivars
Hybridization to develop different populations for selecting superior clones
No specific breeding program for Annona reticulata, although breeding work has been done on other species like cherimoya and squamosa

Intercropping with legumes, peas, beans, and marigold flowers in young orchards for additional income and weed control
No crops during winter as plants go under rest
Gap filling for mortality in new orchards
Stagnation of water during first monsoon increases mortality

Generally, no manures or fertilizers are applied
For better fruit setting and quality, application of manures or fertilizers is useful
An annual dose of 50:50:25g NPK along with 15kg FYM is sufficient for custard apple
Increase the dose up to 5 years of age, then a fixed dose every year
Apply full FYM, phosphorus, potash, and half nitrogen during monsoon, and remaining nitrogen during spring

Fast-growing, responds well to mulching, organic fertilizers, and frequent irrigation during dry weather
Training and pruning improve tree form
Single stem up to 50-70cm height, then inducing scaffold branches in all directions for a strong framework
Pruning limited to removing crisscross, dry, and overlapping branches
A full-grown tree can produce 30-45kg of fruits/year with proper management

Harvest at proper maturity when skin turns reddish-yellow in the interspaces between protuberances
Poor shelf life (3-5 days)
For distant markets, harvest at a comparatively harder stage
Exhibits climacteric fruit features with respiration peak and increased ethylene production after harvest
Store at 15-16°C with high relative humidity
Mainly consumed fresh, can be used for nectar, drinks, sherbets, and ice cream