Sapota (Chikoo)

Water

Rain falls about 7 irrigations (5 cm each) short in a normal year, so it's risky without water.

Needs about 1,160 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain gives about 820 mm it can use in a normal year, and 660 mm in a dry year.

Temperature

Grows best at 20–34 °C on average, and survives 11–42 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Jun 39 °C / 26 °C
• Jul 34 °C / 25 °C
• Aug 33 °C / 24 °C
• Sep 32 °C / 23 °C
• Oct 30 °C / 17 °C
• Nov 25 °C / 11 °C (outside its best range)
• Dec 20 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 18 °C / 5 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 21 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 27 °C / 14 °C
• Apr 33 °C / 19 °C
• May 38 °C / 23 °C
• Jun 39 °C / 26 °C

Nights in December can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.

Soil

Soil for Sapota (Chikoo): 9 out of 10 (good).

Not in the score: organic carbon.

• The pH here suits it.
• Many fields here are short of zinc, which it needs a lot.
• Most fields here are short of nitrogen.
• Most fields here are short of iron.

Likes pH 6.0–7.0.

Money

Yield: about 50 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

A new planting gives its first real harvest after about 3 years. The money here is for plants already bearing.

On rain alone it gets about 71% of the water it needs, so the money here is worked at 71% of this yield.

Mandi price through the year (January–March 2025, November–December 2025): about ₹6,250 a quintal across mandis in your state.

This week: about ₹4,500 a quintal, the middle of 48 mandis across India (latest 13 Nov). At that price an acre would leave about ₹62,000 a year after typical costs.

Prices are usually best in March.

Typical costs are about ₹97,000 an acre: about half of what a usual harvest earns (2023–2025), as in farm cost surveys. They are spent whatever the harvest.