Kalipatti
The popular table sapota of Maharashtra, Gujarat and north Karnataka (NHB). Fruit oblong or round, borne singly, with soft sweet pulp; main picking in winter. A fully grown tree gives 350–400 fruits.
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
- 350–400 fruits/tree on a fully grown tree (NHB)
- 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
Kalipatti is the popular table sapota of Maharashtra, Gujarat and north Karnataka (NHB). The leaves are broad, thick and green. Fruits are oblong or round and borne singly, with soft, sweet pulp, and NHB rates the fruit quality as high. The main picking season is winter. A fully grown tree gives 350–400 fruits (NHB). That is a small count. A Periyakulam (Tamil Nadu) trial of 19 genotypes counted 300 fruits on Kalipatti, the lowest of all, against 1,690 on PKM-1. So Kalipatti wins on market acceptance, not on fruit count. NHB and TNAU give no kg-per-tree figure for it.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Kalipatti if you sell in Maharashtra, Gujarat or north Karnataka, where NHB lists it as the popular table variety with soft, sweet pulp. Do not choose it for fruit count: NHB gives 350–400 fruits a tree, and a Periyakulam trial counted 300, the fewest of 19 genotypes. Pick DHS-1 if you farm in dry north Karnataka, where one trial of older trees recorded 156.25 kg a tree. Pick CO-3 in Tamil Nadu, where NHB gives it up to 157 kg a tree.
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
- The popular table variety in the sapota belts of Maharashtra, Gujarat and north Karnataka (NHB)
- Soft, sweet pulp, and fruit quality rated high (NHB)
- Fruit is borne singly, with the main picking in winter
Things to consider
- Few fruits a tree: 350–400 (NHB), and 300 in a Tamil Nadu trial, the lowest of 19 genotypes.
- Plant only grafted plants. TNAU uses approach grafting on khirni rootstock.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Maharashtra
- Gujarat
- Karnataka
Pick by the signs, not by the calendar
Sapota is a climacteric fruit. It improves in quality after harvest, but only if it is picked at the right stage. NHB says fruit picked too early is poor, and fruit picked late softens fast and spoils in handling and transport.
NHB's signs of maturity: the brown scurf on the skin is replaced by a yellowish, corky-brown colour. Scratch the skin lightly. A mature fruit shows no green tissue and no latex.
Walk the trees and test a few fruits on each, instead of fixing a picking date. Main picking is in winter, but the tree flowers and fruits through much of the year, so fruit of different ages hangs together. Pick by hand or use a pole with a net bag, so the fruit does not drop.
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) | 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 |
| Kalipattithis page | 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
Can I grow Kalipatti from seed?
Not if you want Kalipatti fruit. Named sapota varieties are grafted. TNAU uses approach grafting on khirni rootstock, with the graft joint at least 15 cm above the ground. After planting, stake the graft and remove any shoots from the rootstock below the joint. NHB says to take off the polythene strip about a month after planting.
How many Kalipatti trees fit in a hectare?
NHB suggests 10 × 10 m, which is 100 trees. Sapota grows slowly, so NHB also gives 6 × 6 m until the canopies meet, then you remove alternate trees. TNAU gives 8 × 8 m (156 trees) or 8 × 4 m (312 trees) for high density. NHB and TNAU give no yield per hectare for Kalipatti alone. TNAU says sapota gives 20–25 t/ha depending on variety.
When does a Kalipatti orchard start paying?
NHB says fruiting starts from year 3 after planting, but economic yield comes from year 7 onwards. A fully grown tree of 10 to 15 years yields 1000–3000 fruits, depending on variety and management. For Kalipatti itself NHB gives 350–400 fruits. Plan the cash flow around year 7, not year 3.
How much manure and fertiliser does a Kalipatti tree need?
NHB gives a schedule that grows with the tree's age. In year 1: 20 kg FYM, 300 g N, 150 g P and 100 g K. From year 6: 70 kg FYM, 1000 g N, 500 g P and 500 g K. Under rain only, apply at monsoon onset. Under irrigation, give the FYM and half the fertiliser then, and the rest in September–October. Place it under the canopy.
Is drip irrigation worth it for Kalipatti?
NHB says drip saves 40% of the water and increases yield. Lay two drippers of 4 litres an hour at 50 cm from the tree for the first 2 years, then add two more. A raised tank lets the drip run when the power fails. Without drip, use basins and water every 6–7 days in summer and 8–10 days in winter while plants establish.
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.