Cricket Ball (Calcutta Large)
A large, round table sapota with sweet, granular pulp, grown in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh (NHB). It had the biggest fruit in two trials (123.2 g and 135 g) and takes about 258 days from fruit set to harvest.
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; the biggest fruit in two trials (123.2 g and 135 g)
- 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
Cricket Ball is a table sapota with large, round, sweet fruit and granular pulp, grown in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh (NHB). In two trials it had the biggest fruit of the cultivars compared: 123.2 g at Venkataramannagudem, Andhra Pradesh (11 cultivars), and 135 g at Periyakulam, Tamil Nadu (19 genotypes). It also had the biggest seed in the Andhra trial, 5.81 g. The fruit hangs on the tree about 258 days from set to harvest, among the longest of the 11 cultivars. The Periyakulam trial put the tree second only to CO-1 for height and canopy spread, so it is a big tree. NHB gives no yield figure.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Cricket Ball if you want the largest fruit: it topped two trials at 123.2 g and 135 g. NHB calls the pulp sweet but granular. Plan for a big tree and a long wait on the branch, about 258 days from fruit set to harvest. Pick Kalipatti if soft pulp matters more than size. Pick CO-3 in Tamil Nadu for a Cricket Ball cross with a compact canopy. Pick Pala for small, very sweet fruit that is ready in under 200 days.
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
- Large, round, sweet fruit: the heaviest in two trials (123.2 g and 135 g)
- Listed by NHB for five states, so it is grown across many sapota belts
- The parent of the CO-1 and CO-3 hybrids
Things to consider
- The pulp is granular (NHB), less fine than a soft-pulped variety.
- It had the biggest seed in the Andhra trial (5.81 g).
- A big tree: second only to CO-1 for height and spread at Periyakulam, so give it the wide 10 m spacing.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Tamil Nadu
- Karnataka
- Maharashtra
- West Bengal
- Andhra Pradesh
Eight and a half months on the branch
In the Andhra trial of 11 cultivars, Cricket Ball took about 258 days from fruit set to harvestable maturity. DHS-1 took 258 days and DHS-2 about 263. PKM-1 took 189 and Pala 195.
That is roughly 8.5 months for Cricket Ball. Sapota flowers and fruits through the year in warm, humid climates (NHB), so a tree carries fruit of several ages at once.
Count from fruit set, not from the calendar, when you plan water and manure. Then test the fruit on the tree before picking. NHB's signs are a yellowish, corky-brown skin in place of the brown scurf, and no green or latex when you scratch it.
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-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)this page | 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
How much room does a Cricket Ball tree need?
More than most. At Periyakulam it came second only to CO-1, the tallest tree of 19 genotypes, in height and canopy spread. NHB suggests 10 × 10 m, or 6 × 6 m until the canopies meet and then remove alternate trees. For Cricket Ball, treat 10 × 10 m as the finished spacing.
Is Cricket Ball a good choice for Tamil Nadu?
NHB lists Tamil Nadu first among its states. TNAU's list of preferred sapota varieties names Cricket Ball, PKM-1, Kalipatti and PKM-4. The Periyakulam trial gave Cricket Ball the biggest fruit (135 g). No source gives its yield in kg a tree there, so weigh a tree's crop before you plant a block.
Will buyers accept granular pulp?
NHB lists Cricket Ball as a table variety and calls its pulp sweet and granular. It gives no price or buyer data, so we cannot say how your market rates it. Take a sample crate to two or three buyers and compare the price with Kalipatti, which NHB describes as soft and sweet, before you plant a large block.
What hybrids come from Cricket Ball?
CO-1 is Cricket Ball × Oval (long oval fruit of about 125 g and 18% TSS, bearing after 4 years, per NHB and TNAU). CO-3 is Cricket Ball × Vavilavalasa (up to 157 kg a tree, bearing from the 4th year). Both are Tamil Nadu releases. PKM-3 is Guthi × Cricket Ball (TNAU).
How much of a Cricket Ball fruit is seed?
In the Andhra trial the seed weighed 5.81 g in a 123.2 g fruit, which is about 4.7%. Pala's seed was 2.11 g in a 32.09 g fruit, about 6.6%. So the big fruit loses a smaller share to seed even though its seed is bigger. These are one trial's averages, and they change with site and year.
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.