Baramasi
A traditional sapota. Its best-documented descendant is TNAU's CO-2 (1974), a selection from Baramasi with 112–168 g fruit, about 23% TSS and two bearing seasons a year. No yield or fruit-weight figure is published for Baramasi itself.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Sapota (Chikoo)
- Type
- Grafted variety (on khirni rootstock)
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Fruiting starts about year 3; economic yield from year 7 (NHB, all sapota)
- Expected yield
- No kg-per-tree figure published for Baramasi itself (its selection CO-2: 175 kg a tree, per TNAU)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- No special resistance claimed
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Baramasi is a traditional sapota whose name means 'all twelve months'. We found no NHB or TNAU figure for Baramasi itself. What is documented is its selection, TNAU's CO-2 (1974). CO-2 has obovate to round, medium-sized fruit of 112–168 g, soft juicy sweet gritty light-brown flesh with a pleasant aroma, and TSS of about 23% (TNAU, NHB). It bears in two seasons, December–February and May–June, and fruit takes about six months from set to harvest. TNAU gives CO-2 175 kg a tree, but its own CO-3 entry gives CO-2 as 109.5 kg, so use that figure with care. The name should not be read as fruit every month: sapota in general flowers and fruits through the year in a warm, humid climate (NHB).
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Baramasi only if you can see a bearing tree locally and your buyers know the fruit. No yield or fruit-weight figure is published for it. If you farm in Tamil Nadu, look at CO-2, TNAU's selection from Baramasi: 112–168 g fruit, about 23% TSS, two seasons a year. Pick Kalipatti for western India's markets. Pick Cricket Ball for big fruit. Pick Pala for small, very sweet fruit.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timePlant at the onset of the monsoon (NHB). TNAU gives June to December.
- Spacing10 × 10 m, or 6 × 6 m until the canopies meet and then remove alternate trees (NHB). TNAU gives 8 × 8 m (156 plants a hectare), or 8 × 4 m (312 plants) for high density.
- Sowing methodPlant a grafted plant, not a seedling. TNAU uses approach grafting on khirni (Manilkara hexandra) rootstock, with the graft joint at least 15 cm above the ground. Pit about 1 m on each side, filled with topsoil first, then subsoil mixed with FYM, 1 kg superphosphate and 500 g sulphate of potash (NHB). Stake the graft, shade it, and remove rootstock shoots below the joint.
- IrrigationUse the basin method and widen the basin as the canopy grows. Water every 6–7 days in summer and every 8–10 days in winter while plants establish. Drip saves 40% water and raises yield: two drippers of 4 litres an hour at 50 cm from the tree for the first 2 years, then two more (NHB).
- FertilizerPer tree (Maharashtra Dept. of Agriculture, via NHB): year 1: 20 kg FYM, 300 g N, 150 g P, 100 g K. Year 2: 30 kg, 450 g, 225 g, 200 g. Year 3: 40 kg, 600 g, 300 g, 300 g. Year 4: 50 kg, 750 g, 375 g, 300 g. Year 5: 60 kg, 900 g, 450 g, 400 g. From year 6: 70 kg FYM, 1000 g N, 500 g P, 500 g K. Rainfed: apply at monsoon onset. Irrigated: all the FYM and half the fertiliser at monsoon onset, the rest in September–October, under the canopy.
- HarvestingFruiting starts from year 3, and economic yield comes from year 7. Pick when the brown scurf gives way to a yellowish corky-brown colour and a scratch shows no green and no latex. Sapota ripens after picking, but fruit picked too early is poor, and fruit picked late softens fast. Pick by hand or with a net-bag harvester on a pole (NHB).
Soil & climate
Soil
- Suitable soil
- Deep alluvium, sandy loam or well-drained medium black soil. Shallow clay over a hard pan, or soil high in lime, is unsuitable (NHB).
- pH
- 6.0–8.0
Climate
- Temperature
- 10–38°C
- Rainfall
- 1,250–2,500 mm
- Climate
- A warm, humid climate (above 70% humidity) suits it, and a coastal climate is ideal. It grows up to 1,000 m. Above 43°C flowers drop (NHB).
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Its selection CO-2 has documented 112–168 g fruit and about 23% TSS
- Sapota is a long-lived, hardy tree that fruits through much of the year in a warm climate (NHB)
Things to consider
- No yield or fruit-weight figure is published for Baramasi itself.
- The name suggests fruit every month, but CO-2, taken from it, has two seasons. Do not plan on a steady trickle without watching your own trees.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- West Bengal
- Bihar
- Uttar Pradesh
The name versus the tree: what 'twelve months' really means
Baramasi means 'twelve months', and it is easy to read that as fruit every month of the year. The sources do not say that.
NHB says sapota in general flowers and fruits throughout the year in warm, humid climates, with temperatures of 10–38°C and 1,250–2,500 mm rain. So a year-round habit is a trait of the crop, not of Baramasi alone. TNAU's CO-2, selected from Baramasi, bears in two seasons: December–February and May–June.
Plan on what you see. Walk the orchard for two years, note which months fruit is ready, and plan labour and the market around that pattern. Ask any nursery selling 'Baramasi' to show you the bearing mother tree and to write the variety on the bill.
Where the planting material comes from
This variety is a grafted plant: the variety on top, joined onto a rootstock below. Seed out of its fruit will not come up as this variety, so it cannot be kept as seed. Buy grafted plants from a registered nursery or a government farm, so the plant is true to the variety and free of disease.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Sapota (Chikoo) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Starts bearing | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baramasithis page | A traditional sapota to plant only if you can see it bearing; its selection CO-2 has the numbers | Fruiting starts about year 3; economic yield from year 7 (NHB, all sapota) | No kg-per-tree figure published for Baramasi itself (its selection CO-2: 175 kg a tree, per TNAU) | West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh |
| CO-3 | A compact, heavy-bearing Tamil Nadu sapota that flowers through the year | Bearing commences from the 4th year (NHB) | Up to 157 kg/tree/year (NHB, TNAU) | Tamil Nadu |
| Cricket Ball (Calcutta Large) | Large, round, sweet fruit, where size matters more than fine pulp | Fruiting starts about year 3; economic yield from year 7 (NHB, all sapota) | No kg-per-tree figure published; the biggest fruit in two trials (123.2 g and 135 g) | Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh |
| DHS-1 | A big-fruited, heavy-bearing sapota for the dry north of Karnataka, where one trial gave 156 kg a tree | Fruiting starts about year 3; economic yield from year 7 (NHB, all sapota) | 156.25 kg/tree in one north Karnataka dry-zone trial of older trees | Karnataka |
| Guthi | A traditional medium-height sapota; for most farmers its improved selection PKM-1 is the better plant | Fruiting starts about year 3; economic yield from year 7 (NHB, all sapota) | No kg-per-tree figure published | Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu |
| Kalipatti | A soft, sweet table sapota for the markets of western India, planted for market acceptance rather than for the biggest fruit count | Fruiting starts about year 3; economic yield from year 7 (NHB, all sapota) | 350–400 fruits/tree on a fully grown tree (NHB) | Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka |
| Pala | A quick-ripening, very sweet small sapota for local markets in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu | Fruiting starts about year 3; economic yield from year 7 (NHB, all sapota) | High yielding (NHB); no kg-per-tree figure published | Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu |
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 Sapota (Chikoo) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Sapota (Chikoo) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Sapota (Chikoo) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Sapota (Chikoo) 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 Sapota (Chikoo) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Sapota (Chikoo) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Does 'Baramasi' mean it fruits every month?
Not reliably. The name means 'twelve months'. But sapota in general flowers and fruits through the year in a warm, humid climate (NHB), so the habit is not special to Baramasi. TNAU's CO-2, selected from Baramasi, bears in two seasons: December–February and May–June.
What is CO-2, and how does it relate to Baramasi?
CO-2 (1974) is a clonal selection from Baramasi, made at TNAU. TNAU gives obovate to round, medium-sized fruit of 112–168 g and TSS of 23.1%, bearing in two seasons. NHB gives the flesh as soft, juicy, sweet and gritty, light brown, with pleasant aroma, and fruit weight of 125–150 g. Both agree on about 23% TSS.
How much will a Baramasi tree yield?
No figure is published for Baramasi itself. For its selection CO-2, TNAU gives 175 kg a tree (11.8 t/ha at 67 trees a hectare) in one entry and 109.5 kg in another, so even that number is uncertain. NHB says a mature sapota tree of 10 to 15 years gives 1000–3000 fruits, depending on variety and management.
Is Baramasi grown in West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh?
Some guides say so, but NHB's variety list does not include Baramasi and we found no state-wise source for it. Take it as an unconfirmed statement. If you plan to grow it, ask your KVK whether any grower near you has fruited it, and for how many years.
How early will a grafted Baramasi plant fruit?
NHB says sapota fruits from year 3 after planting, with economic yield from year 7. That is for sapota in general, because no source gives an age for Baramasi alone. Plant a grafted plant, not a seedling.
Sourced from: Varieties — NHB, Sapota, Planting — NHB, Sapota, Manuring and fertilization — NHB, Sapota, Irrigation — NHB, Sapota, Harvesting — NHB, Sapota, Soil and climate — NHB, Sapota, Sapota — TNAU Agritech Portal, Horticulture: Fruits, Sapota varieties — TNAU Agritech Portal. editorial policy.