The document discusses production techniques for pomegranate including botanical details, common varieties grown in India, climate and soil requirements, propagation methods, pruning and training, flowering, harvesting, and issues like fruit cracking. It provides information on cultivation practices like land preparation, planting, irrigation, fertilization and pest management. The major pomegranate growing states in India are mentioned.

1. PRESENTED BY:
RAKESH KUMAR PATTNAIK
Asst. Prof. Horticulture
MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Production technology for fruit and plantation crops-
HT-244 (2+1)
Dt- 27-05-20
LECTURE 3. POMEGRANATE

2. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Botanical name: Punica granatum
Family: Punicaceae
Origin: Iran (Persia)
CN: 18
 Pomegranate was introduced into India from Persia or
Afghanistan
 The fruits are a good source of sugars (14-16%), minerals
(0.7-1.0%) and a fair source of Iron (0.3-0.7 mg/100 g.)
 In A.P it is grown in Ananthapur, Rangareddy, Medhak,
Mahaboobnagar and Adilabad districts.
Punicacea

3. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Climate:
 Subtropical fruit
 1800m above sea level.
 Hot and dry climate during the period of fruit development and ripening
 Temperature for fruit development is 38OC.
 Subtropics it is deciduous in nature while in tropics it is evergreen.
Soils:
 Deep loamy or alluvial soils are ideal for its cultivation.
 Tolerate soils, which are slightly alkaline.
 Grown in medium and black soils
 Salt-hardy fruit plant
 pH -5.5-7

4. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Propagation:
 Hard wood stem cuttings,
 Air layering and
 Root suckers are the important methods
Varieties:
 The rind may be thick or thin; colour may vary from pale yellow to crimson.
 The seed pulp in superior types is thick; flesh is very juicy, while in inferior types it is
thin.
 The seed coat varies in hardness.
 Lack of lignification of the testa is the main cause of seedless ness in pomegranate.
Bhagwa, Bedhana,
Jodpur, Red Dholka,
Ganesh, Alandhi, Musket
Red, Jalore seedless,
jyothi, Papershell.
 Edible part - aril.

5. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Hybrids:
Mridula: MPKV Rahuri, Maharastra
 Ganesh X Gul-e-sha Red.
 Fruits are medium sized, rind smooth, and dark red in colour
 The fruits weigh between 230-270g.
 The TSS of the fruit is 17-18OBrix and acidity of 0.47%
Ruby: This was released from IIHR-Bangalore.
 This is a complex hybrid between Ganesh, Kabul, Yercaud and Gul-e-sha Red
pink varieties.
 The fruit weighs between 225-275g.
 The-rind colour is red, seeds are soft with dark red coloured
 TSS of 17O Brix and 0.64% acidity.
Important varieties are
Spanish Ruby, Vellodu,
Kabul, Khandhari, and
Arakta

6. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Land preparation and planting:
 Pits are dug 60-75 cm3 before the on set of monsoon.
 20-25 kg of FYM or Compost, 1 kg. Of super phosphate and 25 grams of phorate
granules
 Beginning of the monsoon in S. India and January to mid February i.e., during dormant
period in N. India,
 Square or hexagonal system.
 5.0 X 4.0m.
 Higher yields for the first 4-5 years after planting, a distance of 5 X 2m may be adopted and
alternate plants may be removed afterwards maintaining a planting distance of 5 X 4m

7. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Irrigation:
 7 to 20 days intervally.
 About 6 months of planting
 At intervals of 2 to 4 weeks depending upon the soil, climate, weather conditions.
 Irregular moisture condition results in dropping of flowers and small fruits.
 Development of cracks on mature fruits.
Manures and fertilizers:
 One year old plants -10 kg of FYM and 150 to 200 grams of Ammonium sulphate.
 Five year old plant - 50 kg FYM and 1 Kg of Ammonium sulphate.
 Adult bearing trees -675g of Nitrogen, 250g each of Phosphorous and Potash.

8. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Training:
I. Single-stemmed tree:
II. Multi-stemmed tree:
Pruning:
 Removal of ground suckers, water shoots and criss-cross
branches, dead and diseased twigs and giving a shape to
the tree
Pomegranate

9. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Flowering and crop regulation:
 There are three seasons of flowering.
 Temperate climate one season i.e. during April
 Dholka, Khandhari, Muskat and Patiala flowered only once in a year,
 While Ganesh and Japanese dwarf flowered twice.
 Flowers on one year to two years old spurs.
 Flowers are hermaphrodite, male and or intermediate.
The three distinct seasons of flowering
1. Ambe bahar (February-March)
2. Mrig bahar (June-July)
3. Hasta bahar (September-October)

10. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
 Manipulation of flowering in a desired direction is called bahar treatment.
 Helps in getting uniform and good quality fruits with a maximum production with fewer incidences of pests and
diseases.
 Bahar treatment include root pruning, root exposure, use of chemicals, with holding water for about two
months before flowering.
 Ambe-bahar
 With holding water after the end of monsoon
 When the trees shed their leaves in October-November,
 Subsequent land operation, manuring and irrigation induce
the plants
 Flower during December-January and
 The fruits mature during July-August.
 For Mrig-bahar,
 December-April by withholding water.
 The trees shed their leaves in March and remain
dormant till May.
 Subsequent soil operation followed by application of
manures and fertilizers and irrigation till the rainy
season, induce flowering and fruiting - fruits are
harvested during October-November.

11. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Harvesting:
 Fruits ripen in about 5 to 7 months from the time of
flowering stage.
 Delay in harvesting leads to fruit cracking
 Harvested with the help of clippers retaining 1 cm of the
stock.
 Harvested in 2 to 3 pickings with in a span of 1 month.
 After harvesting the fruits are kept in plastic crates and taken
to a cool place.
 Yield-15-20kg/plant.
 The maturity indices for harvesting fruits are:
 a) Fruits are ready for harvesting in about 150 to
170 days.
 b) External colour of fruit changes from green to
yellow or red yellowish brown.
 c) Fruit becomes soft.
 d) Ridges on the fruit become flat.
 e) Floral parts on the fruit dry out.
 f) Fruits when tapped produce a metallic sound or
cracking sound.
 g) Acidity -less than 1.85%.
 h) Basal beak shaped portion shrinks at the time of
maturity

12. MITS INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Fruit cracking:
 Fluctuation of soil moisture, day and
temperature, relative humidity and
rind pliability
 Due to Boron deficiency
 Prolonged drought causes hardening of
peel
 Followed by heavy irrigation or rains the
pulp grows and peel cracks.
 Rise in air temperature during fruit
growth and development.
 Mrig-bahar (june-july) crop is more
susceptible
Control :
 Adequate and regular irrigation and interculture.
 Tolerant/less prone -Karkai, Guleshah, Bedana, and Jalore seedless
& avoiding susceptible varieties - vellodu, Kabul & Khandhari.
 Spraying Borax@ 0.1 to 0.2%
 Spraying of GA3 in the month of June at 250ppm
 Planting wind breaks around the garden