Phule Janaki
MPKV Rahuri's 2017 custard apple release: large fruit of 392.71 g, 57.57 fruits a tree and 58.96% pulp, milky white and soft, with few seeds.
Quick facts
- Type
- Grafted plant (selection)
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- Perennial; planted in the Kharif season (MPKV); peak harvest October to November (TNAU)
- Seed rate
- MPKV gives 400 plants an acre, as grafted plants. It does not give the spacing.
- Expected yield
- 392.71 g a fruit and 57.57 fruits a tree, about 22.6 kg a tree by our arithmetic (MPKV)
- Suitable soil
- All soils
- Release
- Released 2017 · Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri, Maharashtra
About this variety
Phule Janaki is a custard apple released in 2017 by Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri. MPKV lists it for light to medium soil and an arid climate, planted in the Kharif season, at 400 plants an acre. The tree is semi-spreading with dark green foliage. The fruit is large, with an average weight of 392.71 g, and the tree carries 57.57 fruits. The surface is rough and yellowish green, the shape is oval and the areoles are mammillate. Pulp is 58.96%, milky white with a soft texture and few seeds, with a better sugar-acid blend. MPKV's remark is maximum pulp, fewer seeds, bigger fruit size, an acceptable sugar-acid blend and higher yield. MPKV prints its productivity as 09 under a heading in tonnes a tree, which cannot be right, so we do not use it.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Phule Janaki if you farm in Maharashtra, in light to medium soil in a dry region, and what you sell is pulp: MPKV gives it 58.96% pulp, against 47.82% for MPKV's other release, Phule Purandar. The fruit is large, 392.71 g, with milky white soft pulp and few seeds, and MPKV notes a good sugar-acid blend. The catch is the tree. At 57.57 fruits of 392.71 g, a tree carries about 22.6 kg by our arithmetic, while MPKV gives Phule Purandar 50.90 kg a tree from a different trial. MPKV also prints Phule Janaki's productivity as 09 with an unclear unit, so do not plan an income from it. Try a few trees beside Phule Purandar before you plant a block.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeKharif season (MPKV)
- Seed rateMPKV gives 400 plants an acre, as grafted plants. It does not give the spacing.
- Sowing methodPlant a graft: TNAU says budding or inarching on custard apple seedlings keeps the plant uniform, while seed gives variable vigour and poorer fruit. Mix 10 kg farmyard manure with the topsoil in each pit
- Fertilizer10 kg farmyard manure, 250 g N, 125 g P2O5 and 250 g K2O a tree, applied at the start of the rains (TNAU lecture notes)
- HarvestingPeak harvest is October to November. Hand-pick when the skin is light green, yellowish white shows between the carpels and the skin starts to crack between them (TNAU lecture notes)
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Light to medium soil (MPKV)
Climate
- Climate
- Arid region (MPKV). Rainfall of 500 to 750 mm a year is enough for annonas (TNAU lecture notes).
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
Perennial; planted in the Kharif season (MPKV); peak harvest October to November (TNAU)
Expected yield
392.71 g a fruit and 57.57 fruits a tree, about 22.6 kg a tree by our arithmetic (MPKV)
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- No special resistance widely documented
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Pulp of 58.96%, against 47.82% for Phule Purandar and 43.93% for Balanagar in the Pune trial.
- A large fruit, 392.71 g, with milky white soft pulp and few seeds.
- MPKV notes a better sugar-acid blend and suits light to medium soil in an arid region.
Things to consider
- About 22.6 kg a tree by our arithmetic (57.57 fruits x 392.71 g), below the 50.90 kg MPKV gives Phule Purandar from a different trial.
- MPKV prints the productivity as 09 with an unclear unit, and gives no sugar (TSS) figure, no shelf life and no disease rating.
- No independent trial of Phule Janaki was found, so the figures are MPKV's own release note.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Maharashtra
Reading MPKV's three numbers for Phule Janaki
MPKV gives Phule Janaki three headline figures: 392.71 g an average fruit, 57.57 fruits a tree, and 58.96% pulp. The first and third are strong. Phule Purandar, MPKV's other custard apple, has 366.17 g and 47.82% pulp, and Balanagar in the Pune trial had 267.67 g and 43.93%. So a Phule Janaki fruit is bigger and gives a larger share of pulp.
The second number is the one to watch. Multiply 57.57 fruits by 392.71 g and a tree carries about 22.6 kg of fruit, by our arithmetic. MPKV gives Phule Purandar 50.90 kg a tree, and Balanagar 35.60. Those come from a different trial, so the comparison is not exact, but it says Phule Janaki may carry less fruit by weight and make up for it in pulp.
MPKV also prints Phule Janaki's productivity as 09 under a heading of tonnes a tree. Nine tonnes from one tree cannot be right, and MPKV does not say what the unit really is. We do not use it. If you want a yield you can rely on, plant a few trees next to Phule Purandar and weigh both for two or three seasons.
Can you save seed from this crop?
Custard apple from seed gives variable trees and poorer fruit, as TNAU notes. Buy grafted plants of Phule Janaki from a nursery that can name the mother tree, and ask MPKV Rahuri where its plants are sold.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Custard Apple (Sitaphal) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APK (Ca) 1 | Rainfed black-soil (vertisol) and dry-tract orchards in southern Tamil Nadu, where TNAU recommends it and you want a variety bred for that soil | First fruit at 3 to 3.5 years on grafts; productive life about 25 years (TNAU) | 14.90 kg a tree (TNAU release note); 24.7 kg a tree at 6 x 6 m in a later Aruppukottai trial | Tamil Nadu |
| Arka Sahan | Orchards where you will hand-pollinate every tree and sell large, low-seed fruit fresh or as pulp | Fruit matures September to November; a tree gives 40 to 45 kg from 8 years (IIHR) | IIHR average 12 t/ha with hand pollination; 1.49 t/ha without it in a Tamil Nadu trial | Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh |
| Balanagar | Dryland orchards in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where you want the most widely tested variety and a reliable crop without hand pollination | Peak harvest October to November; about 80 to 100 fruits a tree after 4 to 5 years (TNAU) | 22.79 kg a tree and 6.15 t/ha at Aruppukottai (2017-2020); 35.60 kg a tree in the Pune trial | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana |
| Mammoth | Farmers who want the parent of Arka Sahan for comparison or for breeding, or a plain sitaphal that is easy to graft and sell locally | Peak harvest October to November; about 80 to 100 fruits a tree after 4 to 5 years (TNAU) | No variety yield figure published; fruit about 125 g | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh |
| Phule Janakithis page | Maharashtra orchards in light to medium soil that want a high pulp share | Perennial; planted in the Kharif season (MPKV); peak harvest October to November (TNAU) | 392.71 g a fruit and 57.57 fruits a tree, about 22.6 kg a tree by our arithmetic (MPKV) | Maharashtra |
| Phule Purandar | Maharashtra orchards in light to medium soil where you want a big fruit with less seed and a longer shelf life than Balanagar | Perennial; planted June to July; peak harvest October to November (MPKV, TNAU) | 50.90 kg a tree and 366.17 g a fruit in the Pune trial (Balanagar check: 35.60 kg, 267.67 g) | Maharashtra |
| Red Sitaphal | Small farmers who sell to buyers wanting a pink-red custard apple and can taste the fruit at the source before buying plants | Peak harvest October to November; about 80 to 100 fruits a tree after 4 to 5 years (TNAU) | No yield trial published; fruit about 150 to 160 g | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka |
| Washington | Experimental plots only, until a nursery can show you the mother tree and its fruit weight | Peak harvest October to November; about 80 to 100 fruits a tree after 4 to 5 years (TNAU) | No published figure found | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Custard Apple (Sitaphal) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Custard Apple (Sitaphal) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Custard Apple (Sitaphal) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Custard Apple (Sitaphal) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Custard Apple (Sitaphal) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Custard Apple (Sitaphal) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Phule Janaki the same as Phule Purandar?
No. MPKV lists them as two separate custard apple varieties. Phule Janaki was released in 2017 from Rahuri, with 392.71 g fruit and 58.96% pulp. Phule Purandar (JWC-1) was released in 2014 by the AICRP on Arid Zone Fruits at Jadhavwadi, Pune, with 366.17 g fruit and 47.82% pulp.
How many Phule Janaki plants do I need for an acre?
MPKV gives 400 plants an acre for Phule Janaki and does not give the spacing. For Phule Purandar it gives 4 x 4 m (250 plants an acre) on light to medium soil and 5 x 5 m (160 an acre) on heavy soil, so Phule Janaki is planted closer. Ask MPKV or your KVK before you mark the field.
How sweet is Phule Janaki?
MPKV says only that the fruit has a better sugar-acid blend and an acceptable sugar-acid blend. It gives no sugar (TSS) figure. Taste a fruit from a grower's tree before you plant.
Can I grow Phule Janaki outside Maharashtra?
MPKV lists it for light to medium soil in an arid region and gives no trial from other states. TNAU says annonas need only 500 to 750 mm of rain a year. Try a few grafted plants first, and ask the nursery where it has been grown.
Sourced from: Cropwise improved / hybrid varieties of fruits — Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri (Phule Janaki and Phule Purandar entries), Research technology varieties — Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Phule Purandar (JWC-1), a new custard apple cultivar for Maharashtra — Idate and others, J. Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 8(3), 2019 (the Balanagar check figures), TNAU eAgri — Custard apple (HORT 181 lecture 18). editorial policy.