Evaluation, Flowering Behavior Physico-chemical and Keeping Quality of Custard Apple: A Review

Custard apple, scientifically known as Annona squamosa L., and also referred to as Sitaphal or Sharifa, holds significant importance as a dry land fruit crop in India. Its flowers, either solitary or in small lateral clusters, measure around 2.4 to 2.5 cm long, appearing greenish-yellow atop a hairy, slender 2 cm long stalk. Each carpel bears a single, hard, smooth, shiny, dark-brown or black, glossy seed, oblong in shape, and less than 1.3 to 1.6 cm long. The fruit of the custard apple is renowned for its delicious whitish pulp and is a popular item in tropical markets. Comprised of loosely cohering carpels, the fruit forms a surface that is either squamose or tuberculated. Its pulp, tinged with white and yellow, is edible, sweetly aromatic, and contains a thick, creamy-white layer akin to custard, with somewhat granular flesh beneath the skin surrounding the concolorous, moderately juicy segments. The fruit typically contains around 55 to 60 seeds. Custard apple is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, which are known to combat various diseases and bolster the immune system. Consumption of custard apple is beneficial for heart health, skin, bones, and maintaining blood pressure. It is also known for its therapeutic effects on boils, ulcers, and gum-related issues. Custard apple has undergone evolution through both natural processes and human selection across diverse elevation zones and under different cropping systems. Honey bees, serving as carriers of cross-pollination, have contributed to the wide variety of locally adapted landraces. Despite this diversity, there has been no systematic collection and evaluation of custard apple cultivars in various states. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the collection, characterization, and evaluation of high-yielding strains/lines suitable for commercial cultivation in regions like Chhattisgarh. Thus, the primary objective of this paper is to evaluate genotypes, flower behavior, and physico-chemical characteristics of custard apple, aiming to improve production and meet the satisfaction of farmers.