Production technology of pomegranate

1. POMEGRANATE
 Botanical name: Punica granatum
 Family: punicaceae
 Choromosome No: 2n=18
 Origin: Iran
 Pomegranate is a favorite table fruit of tropical and subtropical countries.
 The edible part of pomegranate is a juicy outgrowth of the seed called the aril contains cool refreshing
juice.

2.  It is liked for the cool refreshing juice and also valued for its medicinal properties.
 In India though a number of states cultivate pomegranate, the main state which has the maximum area is
Maharashtra.
 It is called as Anar in Hindi.
 The tree is deciduous in temperate countries, evergreen in tropical and subtropical regions.
 The fruits are borne terminally on short spurs, arising from mature shoots.
 Tree is hardy and bushy having a tendency of developing multi-stems.
 One pomegranate fruit supply about 40% of an adult’s daily Vit-C requirement.
 Pomegranate yields the best quality fruits in areas of cool winter and hot dry summer.
 For proper fruit development and maturity and sweetness, a temperature of 35 – 380C is needed.
 It is not very specific about its soil requirement.
 In deep loamy or alluvial soil, it gives very good yield.
 It can tolerate salinity and alkalinity in the soil to certain extent.

3.  Pomegranate is commercially propagated by rooting of cuttings.
 Semi hard wood cuttings of one year old are used for rooting.
 The rooting is improved by application IBA 5000 ppm through quick dip method (10 to 20 seconds).
 It can also be propagated by air layering or gootee, as well as ground layering.
 Transplanting of rooted cuttings is done during monsoon season.
 Spacing 4 x 4 M or 5 x 4 M.
 Drip irrigation using pitcher pot or tube will keep the soil moisture constant without much fluctuation.

4.  Pomegranate is trained as bush.
 Pomegranate tree has a tendency to throw out lot of suckers.
 If it is trained on a single stem system and if it is damaged by stem borer then the tree will be lost.
 Therefore, 3-4 stems are allowed per plant and they are pinched at a height of 1 meter and below the pinched tip of each stem
up to 25-30 cm, 2-3 branches well distributed in all direction are encouraged.
 Such training will help for good maintenance of the tree.
 In pomegranate the fruits are borne terminally on short spurs produced all along the slow growing mature wood.
 The tree starts bearing fruit from 3-4 years.
 Every year during winter a light pruning is to be given to shorten the previous season growth so as to encourage fruiting.
 Besides this, dead and diseased branches, water sprouts (suckers) should be removed periodically.
 Water sprouts from the base should be nipped at the start of their growth so as to avoid wastage of food material in such growth
which exhausts the maximum reserve food.
 Training of pomegranate plant is important to allow certain number of shoots/stems per plant.
 It may be trained as multi-stemmed and single stemmed tree.

5. • Multi-stemmed tree
 This method is preferred in Maharashtra, where in 3-4 stems are retained at a
hill and remaining shoots are removed.
 But yield has not been found to be affected.
 This will give a bushy frame work to the plant.

7. • Single stemmed tree
 Train the plants, remove all the side shoots up to 2-3 feet and single stem is left.
 This operation begins at the time of planting.
 The main stem is pinched at a height of 1m results in the formation of branches.
 Only well distributed 4-5 branches on all sides are allowed to grow.
 Pruning of water shoots, weak crotches dead twigs, old spurs is done regularly.
 After 10 years, old main stems should be removed by cutting back to make it
more productive.

8.  Regulation of flowering (or) Crops regulation
 To obtain higher fruit yield during a particular period, the pomegranate plants are given a resting period.
 It is done by withholding of water for about 60 days in advance of the normal flowering, Roots are exposed and is
known as bahar treatment.
 After 2 months, manures and fertilizers are applied and light irrigation is given three to four days later heavier
irrigations at normal interval are followed.
 For this treatment the trees readily respond and produce new growth, bloom and bear a good crop.
 Flowering is noticed in almost round the year and there are 3 main seasons
 Ambe bahar- Flowering can be induced in February - March. This is taken in the areas where; enough water is
available during hot weather.
 Mrig-bahar - Flowering can be induced in June - July, coinciding with the outbreak of monsoon, this treatment is
taken in the areas where, water is scarce during the hot weather.
 Haste Bahar- Flowering can be induced in September - October, where the trees have to be subjected to stress
during August - September.

9.  Fruiting - The tree starts bearing fruits from 3-4th year and continues for about 25 to 30 years.
 Economic yield is generally obtained from 6th or 7th year onwards.
 The fruits are ready for harvest in about 5-7 months after the appearance of blossoms.
Fruit cracking
 This is mainly due to high temperature with moisture stress at the time of fruit growth and maturity sometimes.
 It is due to boron and potassium deficiency.
 Cracking can be controlled by avoiding moisture stress during fruit development.
 Application of 500 g of potash and bimonthly spraying of 0.25% borax and 0.1% urea during the later stages of
fruit development.
 Cultivars like Bedana Bosec, Khog and Jalore seedless are comparatively cracking tolerant.
 The fruits are harvested when the skin turns slightly yellow and the fruit gives a metallic sound when tapped.
 During 4th year, the tree bears 25 - 30 fruits and a 10-year-old tree gives 150 - 200 fruits /year.

10.  Varieties
 Hard seeded types
 Kandhari - Fruits are large with deep red rind, aril deep blood red or deep pink with sweet, slightly acidic juice. Seeds are very
hard.
 Musker Red- Medium sized fruits with medium thick red rinds. Aril is fleshy with moderately sweet juice; seeds are medium
hard.
 Alandi or Vadki - It possesses medium sized red fruits, aril fleshy, blood red or deep pink with sweet acidic juice. Seeds are very
hard.
 Kabul- Dark red fleshy seeds hard with slightly bitter juice.
 Soft seeded types
 Dholka- It is the commercial variety of Gujarat.
 Ruby- It has medium sized fruits with thin rind, flesh rose colored and seeds are soft.
 Ganesh- Aril is pinkish with sweet juice. Seeds are very soft.
 Yercaud-1 (YCD-1)- superior type (ACC. No. 455) was selected with soft seeds and deep purple aril color. The fruits are medium in
size with easily peelable rind.

11.  CO-1- Purple aril and soft seeds.
 Miridula- Fruit surface smooth, dark red in color, round in shape. Seeds are softer than Ganesh.
 Ruby- The hybrid develops dark red arils in winter and dark pink or red aril in summer whereas in Ganesh
even though the pink or dark pink aril is developed in winter, it is almost white in summer.
 Amlidana- It is an F1 hybrid (Ganesh x Nana). It is superior to sour variety. Its fruits provide more acidic,
anardana an acidulant commercial product prepared by drying the arils of highly acidic pomegranate which
is commercially marketed as condiment in North India for use in culinary preparations which serves the
purpose of dried green mango (amachur) and tamarind for souring curry, chutney etc.