Pomegranate
Pomegranate
(Punica granatum) is a favourite table fruit in tropical and
sub-tropical regions of the world. A native to Iran (Persia), it is found from
Kanyakumari to Kashmir, but is cultivated commercially only in Maharashtra.
Small-scale plantations are also seen in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. In India, it is
considered as a crop of the arid and semi-arid regions because it withstands
different soil and climatic stresses.
Climate and soil
Pomegranate grows well under semi-arid
conditions. It thrives best under hot dry summer and cold winter provided
irrigation facilities are available. The tree requires hot and dry climate
during fruit development and ripening. It cannot produce sweet fruits
unless the temperature is high for a sufficiently long period. Humid climate
lowers the quality of fruits and increases incidence of fungal diseases. The pomegranate
tree is deciduous in areas of low winter temperature and an evergreen or
partially deciduous in tropical and subtropical conditions. It can tolerate
frost to a considerable extent in dormant stage, but is injured at temperature
below –11°C. Orchards can be established up to an altitude of 500m.
Pomegranate can be grown on a wide range of
soils. It prefers a well-drained, sandy-loam to deep loamy, or alluvial soils.
It can also be grown on light soils. Quality and colour development in light
soils is good but poor in heavy soils. It tolerates salinity up to 9.00 ec/mm
and sodicity 6.78 esp.
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