Changes

:Protologue: *''A. cherimola'' : Gard. Dict. ed. 8: ''Annona'' species No 5 (1768). *''A. squamosa'' : Sp. Pl.: 537 (1753).

* * === ''A. cherimola'' : ===*Cherimoya, cherimoyer (En). *Chérimolier (Fr)

* === ''A. squamosa'' : ===*Sugarapple, sweetsop (En). *Attier, pomme cannelle (Fr)

* === ''A. cherimola × A. squamosa'' : ===*Atemoya, custardapple (En).

=== ''A. cherimola'' . ===*Tree, 3-10 m tall. *Leaves ovate to ovate-lanceolate, sometimes obovate or elliptical, 12-20 cm × 8 cm, persistently brownish velvety-tomentose beneath. *Flowers fragrant, extra-axillary, often opposite a leaf at the base of a branchlet, usually solitary but sometimes 2 or 3 on short nodding tomentose peduncles; outer 3 petals oblong-linear, up to 3 cm long, pale yellow, marked with a purple spot at the base within; inner 3 petals very small, reddish to purplish; androecium comprising numerous free fleshy stamens, arranged spirally on the basal part of a conical receptacle; gynoecium comprising numerous free pistils on the upper part of the receptacle. *Fruit a pseudocarp formed by the fusion of the carpels and the receptacle into a fleshy mass, variable in shape and appearance, from heart-shaped with surface bearing protuberances to spheroid or ovoid with the surface covered with U-shaped areoles or rather smooth, 10-15 cm in diameter; pulp white, edible, easily separable from the seeds. *Seeds usually obovate, obliquely truncate, somewhat compressed, with a thin membranous brown wrinkled testa.

=== ''A. squamosa'' . ===*Shrub or tree, 3-6 m tall. *Leaves oblong to narrowly elliptic, 7-17 cm × 3-5.5 cm, slightly pubescent or glabrescent beneath. *Flowers extra-axillary, borne on the young branchlets, usually in clusters of 2-4, sometimes solitary, on slender peduncles; outer 3 petals oblong, up to 2.5 cm long, green, purple at the base; inner 3 petals reduced to minute scales or absent. *Fruit a globose or conical pseudocarp, 5-10 cm in diameter, formed of loosely cohering or almost free carpels, the rounded ends projecting to render the surface tuberculate; surface greenish-yellow with a powdery bloom; pulp white tinged yellow. *Seeds dark brown.

All three crops are semi-deciduous, sugarapple shedding its leaves in the dry season, cherimoya and atemoya in the subtropics in spring. Flowering coincides with the resumption of extension growth. Usually a second flush of shoot growth - and sometimes a third -occurs during the growing season, bringing out further flowers, but these are unlikely to set fruit. In fact flowering can be brought about at almost any time of the year by pruning and defoliation to force a new flush. Thus the main flush and flowering may be advanced by removing the leaves 1-2 months before they would normally be shed. Flowering is best on spurs and short shoots and fails completely on the very vigorous shoots common in young cherimoya and atemoya trees.

Strong apical dominance in some cherimoya and atemoya cultivars gives rise to vigorously growing whips which fail to flower. These vigorous shoots are tipped during the growing season to stimulate the emergence of flowering laterals. Axillary bud break can be improved by removing the uppermost leaves after tipping. If these treatments do not have the desired effect, chemical defoliation, either during early bud break or in the middle of the growing season, is a last resort. A range of defoliants has been tested and a mixture of 250 g urea and 1 g ethephon (Ethrel^(R)®) per litre, plus wetting agent, has been most successful.

The fruits have a high demand for potassium. Mature, high-yielding trees may require between 2-4 kg/year of potash. Potassium leaf levels can be maintained above the suggested critical level of 1% only by applications before flowering. ''Annona'' trees are sensitive to zinc and boron deficiencies. Where boron is deficient, borax at 2 g/m²should be broadcast over the ground area under the canopy. Zinc deficiencies can be corrected by zinc sulphate heptahydrate sprays (0.1%) applied at monthly intervals. Boron and calcium sprays during flowering and early fruit set may also be beneficial in reducing the incidence of internal fruit browning.

The major root rot disease is bacterial wilt ( ''Pseudomonas solanacearum'' ). Symptoms are collar rot, dark internal discolouration of the root wood tissue, tree decline and eventual death. Chemical control of the disease is not possible. Sugarapple rootstocks are highly susceptible. The major fruit diseases are black canker ( ''Phomopsis'' spp.), diplodia rot ( ''Botryodiplodia'' spp.) and purple blotch ( ''Phytophthora'' spp.). The incidence of these fruit diseases increases under moist or wet conditions. They can all be controlled by a regular spray programme using either mancozeb or copper oxychloride.

The most commonly found pests are mealy bugs ( ''Planococcus'' spp.), fruit flies ( ''Dacus'' spp.), spotting bugs ( ''Amblypelta'' spp.) and scales ( ''Parasaissetia'' spp.). All of these can be controlled in an integrated pest management programme. In the Philippines a fruit-boring moth ( ''Annonaepestis bengalella'' ) is the most destructive pest.