CO-3
A TNAU hybrid (2000) of Cricket Ball × Vavilavalasa for Tamil Nadu. A tree of intermediate size with a compact canopy, bearing from the 4th year and giving up to 157 kg a tree (NHB, TNAU). It flowers through the year, with peaks in February–June and September–October.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Sapota (Chikoo)
- Type
- Grafted variety (on khirni rootstock)
- Season
- All seasons
- Starts bearing
- Bearing commences from the 4th year (NHB)
- Expected yield
- Up to 157 kg/tree/year (NHB, 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
CO-3 is a sapota hybrid from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (released 2000), a cross of Cricket Ball and Vavilavalasa. NHB describes dull-brown, oblong, sweet fruit on a tree of intermediate stature, bearing from the fourth year, with an average yield of 157 kg a tree a year. TNAU says the canopy is compact and the tree flowers through the year, with peaks in February–June and September–October. TNAU also quotes 40–50 t/ha under high-density planting. At Periyakulam its fruit averaged 129 g, second only to Cricket Ball (135 g), and it was the shortest tree of 19 genotypes. NHB gives no TSS for it.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose CO-3 if you farm in Tamil Nadu and want the largest crop per tree that NHB lists, up to 157 kg, on a tree of intermediate size with a compact canopy. It also gives big fruit, 129 g at Periyakulam. Expect fruit from the 4th year and two flowering peaks a year. Pick Cricket Ball for the biggest fruit (135 g) on a taller tree. Pick Kalipatti if you sell into western India's markets. 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
- Up to 157 kg a tree (NHB, TNAU)
- A compact canopy, and the shortest tree of 19 genotypes at Periyakulam
- Large fruit: 129 g, second only to Cricket Ball
- Flowers through the year, with two peaks (February–June and September–October)
Things to consider
- Bearing starts from the 4th year, a year later than the third year NHB gives for sapota in general.
- It is a Tamil Nadu variety. The sources we read give no result from other states.
- TNAU's 40–50 t/ha is a high-density ceiling. Plan from your own per-tree weighing.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Tamil Nadu
Two flowering peaks a year: plan labour and water
TNAU says CO-3 flowers all through the year, with peaks in February–June and September–October. So you do not get one harvest a year but two broad ones, with some fruit in between.
In the Andhra trial, fruit took about 189 to 263 days from set to harvestable maturity, depending on the cultivar. NHB says to apply nitrogen and the other fertiliser in two parts: with the manure at the onset of the monsoon, and the rest in September–October on irrigated orchards. Match your picking labour to when your own fruit set peaks, not to the flowering months.
Keep a simple diary for two years: the week most flowers open, the week most fruit sets, and the week you pick. After two years you will know your own gaps, and can hire help and book the market for them.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baramasi | 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-3this page | 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
Is TNAU's 40–50 t/ha for CO-3 realistic?
It is a ceiling. At 8 × 4 m, TNAU's high-density spacing, a hectare holds 312 trees. At 157 kg a tree, that is about 49 t/ha, which matches the TNAU range. But 157 kg is an upper figure for a mature tree, and TNAU says sapota gives 20–25 t/ha across varieties. Plan below the ceiling and weigh your own trees.
What does CO-3 take from each parent?
It is Cricket Ball × Vavilavalasa. From the Cricket Ball side it has large fruit, 129 g at Periyakulam against 135 g for Cricket Ball. Unlike the tall Cricket Ball, it is the shortest tree of 19 genotypes there, with a compact canopy. NHB and TNAU do not say what it took from Vavilavalasa.
When does CO-3 flower and when will I be picking?
TNAU says it flowers through the year, with peaks in February–June and September–October. Fruit takes about 6–8.5 months from set to harvest in the Andhra trial (189–263 days across cultivars), so picking runs behind flowering. Keep a diary of your own set and pick dates for the first two years.
Can I plant CO-3 outside Tamil Nadu?
NHB and TNAU list it for Tamil Nadu and give no results from other states. Sapota in general likes a warm, humid climate with 1,250–2,500 mm rain, and flowers drop above 43°C (NHB). Ask your KVK if anyone near you has fruited CO-3, and plant a few trees before a block.
How soon will a CO-3 orchard pay back?
NHB says CO-3 bears from the fourth year, but for sapota in general it puts economic yield at year 7 onwards. A fully grown tree of 10 to 15 years gives 1000–3000 fruits, depending on variety and management. Budget for several years of care, with irrigation, manure and an intercrop, before the full crop.
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.