LUDHIANA, DECEMBER 14:–Two new varieties of sapota (chiku) namely “Kalipatti” and “Cricket Ball” and three of amla namely “Balwant (NA-10),” “Neelam (NA-7)” and “Kanchan (NA-4)” were approved for general cultivation in Punjab during the meeting of State Variety Approval Committee (SVAC) for Horticulture Crops, held at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), under the chairmanship of Dr L.S. Brar, Director of Horticulture, Punjab.
Dr. Brar appreciated efforts of PAU Horticulturists associated with the varietal development and said that horticulture holds great potential in Punjab as it is important for the agricultural diversification. The released varieties possessing better yield and quality will be a step toward nutritional security of people as fruits are rich source of vitamins, minerals and nutrients which are protective.
Referring to the sapota variety “Kalipatti,” the PAU Director of Research Dr S.S. Gosal said that it is table purpose variety having dark green, broad and thick leaves. Its fruits are oval shaped with sweet, mellow flesh of excellent quality. They appear singly and contain 1-4 seeds per fruit. He added that the variety matures in last week of November and the average yield of mature plant is 166 kg/tree.
Dr Gosal further said that the leaves of “Cricket Ball” variety are light green. Its fruits are large and round and the pulp is gritty and granular. The variety is a shy bearer when grown singly but gives good performance when grown with Kalipatti. He informed that the variety contains 3-5 seed per fruit and the average yield of mature plant is 157 kg/tree.
Giving details of the amla variety “Balwant,” Dr Gosal told that it is a seedling developed from cultivar Banarasi. Its fruit is flattened round and moderate in size and the fruit skin is rough, yellowish green with pink tinge. The flesh is slightly fibrous, whitish green, soft, juicy and highly astringent, said he, adding that the stone is moderate in size and nearly rectangular in shape. Describing it as earliest variety, Dr Gosal said that it matures in mid-November and its average yield is 121 kg per tree.
Telling about the “Neelam” variety, Dr Gosal said that it is a seedling selection from open pollinated strain of cultivar Francis. Fruit of the variety is medium to large in size and conical in shape and fruit skin is smooth, semi translucent and yellowish green. The flesh is almost fibreless and soft and stone is medium in size and oval round in shape. He informed that it is a mid-season variety and matures in the end of November. Its average yield is 121 kg per tree.
Elaborating further, Dr Gosal told that the variety “Kanchan” is a seedling from cultivar Chakaiya. Fruit is flattened oblong in shape and small to medium in size whereas the flesh is fibrous, hard and ideally suitable for processing. Adding that it is late in maturity and matures in mid-December, he said that its average yield is 111 kg per tree.
The PAU Director of Extension Education Dr M.S. Gill, said that the characteristics of the varieties were thoroughly discussed and were recommended for commercial cultivation in the state. He highlighted that no serious insect-pest and diseases were recorded on these varieties.
