Pomegranate Production Research Articles

Pollen Source Influences Fruit Quality, Aril Properties, and Seed Characteristics in Pomegranate

ABSTRACTA study was conducted to determine the effect of pollen source on fruit, aril, and seed characteristics in pomegranate. The cultivar Malas Yazdi was pollinated with three pollen sources including: Rabab Neyriz (a commercial cultivar), Malas Pishva Varamin (selected superior local cultivar), and Poost Sefid Dezful (non-commercial cultivar). The results showed that the rate of fruit set from different pollen sources varied from 13% to 46%. Pollen source also had significant effects on other fruit properties, such as fruit weight, fruit shape, fruit length and diameter, fruit peel color, fruit peel thickness, and edible portion of the fruit. Aril characteristics including number of arils per fruit, aril length and diameter, aril weight, and aril color were also significantly affected by pollen source as well as seed physical properties, including seed weight, seed length and diameter, seed hardness, and seed toughness. However ‘Malas Pishva Varamin’ as a pollinizer showed the lowest rate of fruit set, but performed better in terms of fruit quality and seed characteristic than ‘Rabab Neyriz’ and ‘Poost Sefid Dezful’. This is the first observation of xenia effect in pomegranate breeding and could serve as a new area of research for pomegranate production. These findings suggest that selection of suitable pollinizer could be a new area of research for pomegranate production.

Rooting and vegetative growth of hardwood cuttings of 12 pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars

Commercial pomegranate production area has increased substantially in the western hemisphere due to increased consumer interest in the fruit. Low nursery inventory has caused many growers to propagate vegetatively their own trees and the availability of only a few cultivars is believed to have played a role in a lack of diversity in the developing market. ‘Wonderful,’ the industry standard for pomegranate in several countries, has been propagated in the United States for over 100 years, yet there is limited scientific information regarding how to most effectively propagate ‘Wonderful’ and other important cultivars. This research included two experiments. Experiment 1 evaluated rooting percentages and vegetative growth attributes of hardwood cuttings of twelve cultivars (‘Ambrosia,’ ‘Desertnyi,’ ‘Eversweet,’ ‘Golden Globe,’ ‘Green Globe,’ ‘Haku Botan,’ ‘Ki Zakuro,’ ‘Loffani,’ ‘Nochi Shibori,’ ‘Parfianka,’ ‘Phoenicia,’ and ‘Wonderful’) utilizing a basal dip in a gel formulation of 3 g·L−1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Experiment 2 evaluated auxin treatments which consisted of basal dip in water only (control) or a gel formulation of IBA (1.5gL−1 or 3gL−1) for hardwood cuttings of ‘Wonderful’ and two cultivars that rooted poorly in Experiment 1: ‘Ambrosia’ and ‘Green Globe.’ Measured response attributes included rooting success percentages, dry root mass, leaf area, plant height, number of shoots, apical shoot growth, total shoot length, branching, stem diameter, and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD value). ‘Wonderful’ and nine other cultivars rooted over 84% of the time using cuttings treated with 3gL−1 IBA. Differences in plant height and branching could be detected early in production. The effect of IBA concentration on rooting percentage and growth attributes varied among cultivars. Cuttings of ‘Ambrosia’ rooted best with 3gL−1 IBA versus 0 and 1.5gL−1 IBA, whereas rooting of cuttings of ‘Green Globe’ was similar among IBA rates. Plants of ‘Wonderful’ had significantly greater leaf area compared to those of ‘Ambrosia’ and ‘Green Globe.’ Stem diameter had no effect on rooting on any cultivar in either experiment. There were significant differences among cultivars in terms of chlorophyll content, with ‘Haku Botan’ and ‘Loffani’ having greener leaves than ‘Eversweet,’ ‘Ambrosia,’ and ‘Desertnyi.’

Irrigation Regime and Soil Conditioner to Improve Soil Properties and Pomegranate Production in Newly Reclaimed Sandy Soil

Irrigation Regime and Soil Conditioner to Improve Soil Properties and Pomegranate Production in Newly Reclaimed Sandy Soil

Planning of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) orchards management for season December-July (Ambe bahar)

The study was carried out to evaluate the Ambe bahar of pomegranate for optimum production of pomegranate for Solapur district in the semi-arid zone of Maharashtra. Generally, for crop planning, rainfall analysis and water balance studies are required, to determine drought investigation, water requirement and water surplus/ deficit for better management of orchards. Rainfall is the major determinant of pomegranate production, especially in rain fed areas because the contribution of rain fed horticulture is almost half to the national production. Therefore, an attempt has been made to estimate the occurrence of drought. Data are classified into certain degrees of drought severity (Drought, normal and surplus) based on a number of truncation levels corresponding to specified mean values of the rainfall. Pomegranate evapotranspiration determined by the crop co-efficient (kc) approach where the effects of various weather conditions were incorporated into reference crop evapotranspiration and crop characteristics into crop co-efficient. The water to be applied through drip system at 90 per cent efficiency to pomegranate plantation spaced at 3 x 4.5 m.The water balance parameters and climatic shift in Ambe bahar of pomegranate for 14 stations of Solapur district were estimated.Thus, the study revealed that the average intensity of drought for all stations was higher in Ambe season (bahar) followed by Hasta and Mrig seasons (bahars) of pomegranate. For Ambe bahar, the total amounts of water to be applied is 1696 l/tree for the pomegranate tree of 5th year age at 70 per cent probability level for Solapur district. The average climate during season January-August (Ambe bahar) is arid with very poor moisture adequacy index but it is beneficial for quality and disease free production of pomegranate. The average moisture index was -78.31 per cent with highest and lowest moisture index were observed in Solapur (-72.77) and Mangalvedha (-81.96) stations, respectively. Thus, it concludes, good season for disease free, quality and more beneficial production of pomegranate when external source of water supply is available.

An economic analysis of production of pomegranate in middle Gujarat

The area and production of pomegranate in Gujarat is increasing noticeably from last decade.The economic viability of pomegranate cultivation has been studied in middle Gujarat. The study was based on the data collected from 90 Pomegranate grower spread over total 9 blocks of the Vadodara, Chhota udepur and Kheda district for the agricultural year 2013- 14. Pomegranate cultivation involves high initial investment, but same time annual net return was also high. The establishment cost of pomegranate orchard was found to be Rs. 81063. The average per ha net return was found Rs. 88686 and average production was found 5482 kg per hectare. The value of economic parameters, viz., NPV, BCR, IRR and PBP was found Rs. 993842, 3.07, 47.66 and 58 month, respectively at 10 per cent discount rate. In all the varying situations of cost and return in sensitivity analysis, values of all these economic parameters satisfied the acceptance rules for investment proposition. This indicates that in varying situations of cost and return, the economic viability of investment on the pomegranate cultivation was stable and certain.

Investigating the Effects of Large-Scale Processing on Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activity of Pomegranate Juice

The effects of four important stages of pomegranate juice processing, i.e., pasteurization, enzymatic treatment, filtration and thermal concentration were evaluated based on physicochemical characteristics, bioactive compounds (phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins) and antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP and CUPRAC). Pasteurization had no significant effect on total phenolic content, but it significantly reduced the total flavonoid and total anthocyanin contents. Enzymatic treatment, filtration and thermal concentration significantly reduced the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents. Pasteurization and thermal concentration had no significant effect on FRAP and CUPRAC values. The IC50 value increased notably during enzymatic treatment, filtration and thermal concentration. Processing the pomegranate juice and the subsequent production of pomegranate concentrate led to an overall reduction of total phenolic content, total flavonoid and total anthocyanin contents by 68, 46 and 61%, respectively. Moreover, the processing caused reductions in total antioxidant capacity by 27 and 9%, determined via the CUPRAC and FRAP methods, respectively. Practical Applications Fruit juice processing (i.e., pasteurization, clarification, filtration and concentration) exposes the phytochemicals present to different detrimental factors that may lead to undesirable alterations in bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity. The possibility of change in bioactive compounds (phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins) and antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP and CUPRAC) of pomegranate juice (PJ) during different stages of large-scale processing is an issue that is dealt with in this study.

Some Economic Efficiency Indicators for Production and Marketing of Pomegranate in Egypt بعض مؤشرات الکفاءة الاقتصادیة لإنتاج وتسویق الرمان فى مصر

يعتبر محصول الرمان من المحصيل التصديرية الهامة والواعدة والتى والتى يمکن من خلالها تعديل الخلل فى الميران التجارى المصرى وتکمن مشکلة البحث فى التراجع المستمر للاهمية النسبية لکل من المساحة المزروعة والانتاج الکلى لمحصول الرمان بالنسبة للمساحة المزروعة والانتاج الکلى للفاکهة على مستوى الجمهورية بصفة عامة وعلى محافظة اسيوط بصفة خاصة، واقتصار زراعته فى محافظات معينة بالرغم من إمکانية زراعته بمختلف أنواع الأراضى، مما انعکس اثر ذلک على الطاقة التصديرية للمحصول وبالتالى فقد الکثير من الاسواق الخارجية. يستهدف البحث دراسة الکفاءة الاقتصادية لإنتاج وتسويق الرمان بالجمهورية ومحافظة اسيوط، واهم العوامل المؤثرة على انتاج محصول الرمان ودراسة التوزيع الجغرافى لصادرات مصر من الرمان ويمکن ايجاز اهم النتائج فى الاتى :1- المتوسط السنوى للمساحة المثمرة من محصول الرمان خلال الفترة (1998-2014) بلغ حوالى 5.81 ألف فدان بالجمهورية، وتزداد سنويا بمقدار مؤکد احصائيا بلغ حوالى 0.518ألف فدان تمثل نحو 8.9% من متوسطها، کما تبين أن الإنتاجية الفدانية من محصول الرمان بالجمهورية تزداد سنويا بمقدار مؤکد احصائيا بلغ حوالى 0.233طن/ فدان تمثل نحو 2.97% من متوسطها والبالغ حوالى 7.82 طن/فدان .2- المساحة المثمرة من الرمان باسيوط خلال الفترة (1998-2014) بلغت حوالى 3.72 ألف فدان، وتزداد سنويا بمقدار مؤکد حصائيا بلغ حوالى 0.376ألف فدان يمثل نحو 10.11% من متوسطها، وأن الإنتاجية الفدانية تزيد سنويا بمقدار معنوي احصائيا بلغ حوالى 0.219طن/فدان يمثل نحو 2.23% من متوسطها البالغ حوالى 9.83 طن/فدان.3- بينت النتائج ان محافظة اسيوط تعد أولى محافظات الجمهورية من حيث المساحة الکلية والمثمرة من المحصول حيث قدرت بحوالى 7.02 و 4.7 ألف فدان باهمية نسبية قدرت بنحو 39.85% ،61% على التوالى من إجمالى الجمهورية، کما بلغت الانتاجية الفدانية بها بحوالى 10.8 طن/فدان، وقدر الانتاج الکلى بها بحوالى 56.99 ألف طن، بأهمية نسبية بلغت نحو 121.5% ، 82.5% على التوالى من إجمالى الجمهورية.4- أشارت النتائج الى ان متوسط نصيب المزارع من جنيه المستهلک نحو 50.16% مقابل 22.66% ، 27.17% لکل من المزاع تاجر الجملة وتاجر التجزئة على التوالى خلال الفترة (2011-2014). 5- تبين ان اهم العوامل تأثيرا على الانتاجية الفدانية لرزاع الفئة الاولى هى عمر الحديقة والتسميد الأزوتى، وتقدر مرونتهم الإنتاجية حوالى 0.117 ، 0.115 على التوالى وقدرت المرونة الإجمالية بحوالى 0.232 ، فى حين کانت عمر الحديقة والعمل الالى والسماد الفوسفاتى، اکثر العوامل تاثيرا بالفئة الثانية وقدرت مرونة الإنتاج لهذة العوامل بحوالى 0.196 ،0.204 ،-0.149على التوالى، والمرونة الإجمالية بحوالى 0.251 اما الفئة الثالثة فکان اهم العوامل تأثيرا على الانتاجية هى العمل الالى والعمل البشرى، وتقدر مرونة الإنتاج لهذين العاملين 0.294 ، 0.185 على التوالى، وقدرت المرونة الإجمالية بحوالى 0.4796- کما تبين أن کميات الإنتاج التى تقابل أدنى تکاليف قدرت بحوالى 8.16 ، 9.5 ، 6.35 ، 6.87 طن/ فدان على التوالى للفئة الأولى والثانية والثالثة وإجمالى العينة، وتم تقدير کميات الإنتاج التى تعظم الأرباح والتى قدرت بحوالى 8.63، 7.79، 7.21، 8.30 طن/فدان على التوالى للفئة الأولى والثانية والثالثة وإجمالى العينة. 7- تبين النتائج أن السوق العراقى قد احتل المرتبة الأولى کأهم دولة مستوردة للرمان المصرى حيث بلغت کمية الصادرات المصرية إليها حوالى 27.16 ألف طن تمثل نحو 46.88% من متوسط الصادرات المصرية من الرمان والذى بلغ حوالى57.94 ألف طن، يليه السوق الروسى والسعودي بکمية صادرات بلغت حوالى 9.06، 6.38ألف طن تمثل نحو 15.6% ، 11% على التوالى من متوسط الصادرات المصرية من الرمان خلال الفترة (2009-2014).فى ضوء ماتقدم من نتائج يوصى البحث بالتالى :1- وضع سياسة زراعية تهدف الى رفع الکفاءة التسويقية لمحصول الرمان لتشجيع المنتجين على زيادة الانتاج .2- تشجيع المزارعين على الاحلال والتجديد للأشجار القديمة والتى تدهور إنتاجها، مع إتباع الأساليب الإنتاجية الحديثة فى أداء العمليات الزراعية والتى من شأنها زيادة الناتج وتحسين جودته وزيادة القدرة التنافسية للرمان بالأسواق الخارجية .3- العمل على زيادة الطاقة التصديرية للرمان المصري عن طريق التوسع في زراعتها خاصة في الأراضي الجديدة.4- انشاء ثلاجات عملاقة بکل قرية منتجة لمحصول الرمان حتى يتثنى للمزارعين تخزين محصولهم وبالتالى التحکم فى عرض وبيع انتاجهم فى الاوقات المواتيه لحصولهم على الاسعار المناسبة وبالتالى زيادة ارباحهم من المحصول.

Performance of Pomegranate Export from India

In the present study efforts have been made to explore the current status and performance or direction of trade and changes in the export of pomegranate from India. The secondary data on value of Pomegranate exported to various countries were collected for the period 2006–07 to 2014–15. The collected data were analysed using Markov Chain analysis. The study reveals that the production of pomegranate in India during 2006–07 was to a tune of 839650 tons and the quantity exported was 21670.43 tons accounting for 2.6 per cent of production, which increased during the year 2012–13 with production of 744950 tons and correspondingly the export as 35970.60 tons (4.8%). The dynamic nature of trade pattern was analyzed by applying first order Markov process. Examining the gains and losses in export share of major pomegranate importing countries showed UAE as one of the stable importer of Indian pomegranate as reflected by high probability of retention at 0.83811. Netherland and Other-countries were found able to retain their market share by probability of 0.55988 and 0.48860 respectively.

Pflp gene transformation in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) resistance to bacterial blight disease (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae)

Pomegranate ( Punica granatum L.) is a woody perennial fruit crop grown in arid zones of India, the state of Maharashtra being considered as pomegranate basket contributes to 70 % of the total area followed by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Protection of crops against bacterial disease is an important issue in agricultural production. Pomegranate production in India is severely hampered by the high incidence of bacterial blight disease caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae is air borne, the conventional ways and means of controlling this disease have failed. Evolving a resistant genotype using resistant variety through conventional breeding may be a way out but it is a time consuming process. Transgenic approach appears to be promising to minimize the losses caused by disease. In the present investigation efficient protocols were developed to get healthy and well-formed plants from juvenile and mature-origin explants of the pomegranate cv. ‘Bhagwa’ and transformants with PFLP gene. One of the strategies to lead plants become resistant against bacterial pathogens is employing a transgene, like plant ferredoxin-like protein (PFLP). Different treatment combinations of hormonal concentrations were taken for leaf, petal, nodes and cotyledonary explants to standardize an efficient in vitro regeneration protocol and find out the best treatment for faster regeneration. Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying gene pCAMBIA construct with the constitutive CaMV35S promoter, PFLP gene, terminator and nptII selectable marker (Kanamycin resistance), was used for transformation of explants. Putative transformants were identified on selection medium containing kanamycin at different concentration. Integration of transgene and expression at various levels were confirmed using PCR. Out of 4 putative transformants analyzed, three plants showed amplification for PFLP gene specific primer. Key words In vitro , Pflp gene, transformation, bacterial blight disease, putative transformants, Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Correlation between condensed tannin and fiber contents of irradiated pomegranate seed

Pomegranate seeds were exposed to electron and gamma irradiations at doses of 5, 10, 15 and 20 kGy to study the relationships between their condensed tannin, NDF, ADF contents, in vitro rumen methane production and protozoa population. Data were analyzed by using the GLM procedure. Orthogonal contrast showed that gamma irradiation significantly increased the NDF content of pomegranate seed as compared to control (P<0.05), however electron beam irradiation did not significantly affect NDF%. The condensed tannin content of the pomegranate seed was significantly decreased by gamma and electron beam irradiation compared to control (P<0.05). Our results showed that there was a negative correlation between the methane production and NDF content of the gamma irradiated pomegranate seed. This means that the methane production of the gamma irradiated pomegranate seed decreased with increasing NDF%. Therefore, it seems that, in addition to tannin, the reduction of the methane production was affected by the cell wall content. Generally, the cell wall content may be more important than tannins in limiting microbial and in vitro fermentation.

Are Entomopathogenic Nematodes Effective Biological Control Agents Against the Carob Moth, Ectomyelois ceratoniae?

The carob moth (Ectomyelois ceratoniae) is the key pest of pomegranate, which causes a significant percentage of losses in pomegranate orchards and warehouses of Iran annually. The pest larvae are characterized by displaying a cryptic behavior within the fruit, which avoids most routine control techniques, especially chemical method. The low efficiency of traditional measurements and also the rich species diversity of natural enemies within the infested fruits highlight the necessity of exploring effective control methods, especially environmental friendly approaches. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are a group of biological control agents that actively search for the host, including those in a cryptic habitat like the carob moth larvae within infested fruits. Here, we assumed that treatment of the infested and dropped fruits with EPNs may provide new insight into the management of the carob moth. Three species of EPNs, Steinernema feltiae, S. carpocapsae, and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora were selected and used in a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments. In preliminary assays, the EPNs species were used with different concentrations of infective juveniles (IJs) (0, 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 IJ/larvae) in 2-cm diam. plates. The mortality rates of the laboratory tests were 79.75% and 76.5% for S. feltiae and S. carpocapsae, corresponded to LC50 value of 2.02 IJ/larva for S. feltiae and 2.05 IJ/larva for S. carpocapsae. On the contrary, H. bacteriophora demonstrated low virulence on the pest larvae in petri tests with a LC50 = 426.92 IJ/larva. Hence, both Steinernema species were selected for subsequent experiments. The penetration rate for S. feltiae and S. carpocapsae into the hemocoel of the pest was 43% and 31%, respectively, and the corresponding reproduction rate was 15,452 IJ/larva for S. feltiae and 18,456 IJ/larva for S. carpocapsae. The gathered data from those in vitro tests were used for a field assay. Different concentrations (5, 10, 50, 100, and 160 IJ/cm2 of the arena) of S. feltiae and S. carpocapsae were applied in the field test. The mean mortality results from the last test were 10.89% and 26.65% for S. feltiae and S. carpocapsae, respectively. Finally, we found that these low virulence rates of the nematodes were attributed to inhibitory/repellency effects of saprophytic fungi within the infested pomegranates, a usual status of the infested fruits in autumn or winter seasons. Future work on additional EPN populations more adapted to the extreme conditions of the pomegranate production area in Iran may provide sufficient evidence to continue the further investigation on the best EPN species populations and advanced formulations with high durability.

Effect of Agro-chemicals on Severity of Bacterial Blight and Fruit Quality in Pomegranate

Bacterial blight of pomegranate caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae is a wide spread disease affecting pomegranate production and quality of fruit in Punjab. In-vitro evaluation of agrochemicals indicated that blitox at 3000 ppm followed by kodde 2500 ppm successfully managed the disease. A field experiment was also conducted for its management at New orchard, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during, 2013. Three sprays of the agro-chemicals were done at 15 days interval starting from end June to end July on Mridula variety of pomegranate. Among the various treatments, blitox (0.3%) + streptocycline (250 ppm) proved most effective in reducing per cent disease index, per cent fruit cracking and providing maximum disease control. Quality parameters viz., TSS, acidity, weight, pulp colour, juice weight etc. were also studied. Maximum TSS, fruit weight, juice weight, pulp weight, 100 grain weight and total grain weight were observed in blitox (0.3%) + streptocycline (250 ppm) followed by kodde (0.25%) + streptocycline (250 ppm) sprayed fruits.

An overview of bacterial blight disease: A serious threat to pomegranate production

Bacterial blight of pomegranate is among the most devastating natural calamity that inflicted huge losses to pomegranate crop productivity especially in India during the last 24 years. The dilemma of bacterial blight is still under discussion among the researchers since its appearance in 1952. Symptoms of the disease manifested as numerous, small, segregated, depressed, discoloured and typically water-soaked spots. The epidemiology of the disease remains prevalent in mild to moderate form throughout the year at higher temperature ranged between 20.0–43.0° C during April-July and become severe under highly humid conditions (>80%) and moderate temperature (25–35° C) during rainy season. None of the genotypes exhibited resistant against bacterial blight. Some genotypes found moderately susceptible against bacterial blight of pomegranate. Management of the disease is only by various chemicals.

POMEGRANATE - AN INDIAN SCENARIO

The cultivation of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) was introduced quite early in the Mediterranean and eastern countries like India. India ranks first in area (107,000 ha) with a production of 743,000 t, but exports only 30156.98 t. During the recent five years, production, export and domestic consumption showed a decreasing trend. Maharashtra (leading state), Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are major pomegranate producing states. ‘Ganesh’, ‘Bhagwa’, ‘Ruby’, ‘Arakta’ and ‘Mridula’ are the important commercial cultivars. Bacterial blight is a major disease causing fruit crack, thus reducing the market value and exportability. Research projects aiming to tackle blight are in the pipeline. On an average ₹ 1,90,000/ha is the cost for establishment and rupee 25,000 maintenance with average returns of rupee 1,20,000 to 1,40,000/ha. The payback period ranges from 5 to 6 years having B:C ratio of 2.52 to 2.90 and IRR of 55 to 60%. Farmers have registered with GLOBALGAP certification and follow AGMARK grading. Major markets are Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad. An Agri Export Zone has been established and research support is extended by the National Research Centre for Pomegranate, Solapur, MPKV, Rahuri in Maharashtra, whereas, UHS-Bagalkot and IIHR-Bangalore in Karnataka support farmers. The government of Karnataka is setting up a Centre of Excellence and Cold chain facility in Bagalkot (Karnataka) and an export facility centre is being set up in Baramati with mechanical handling system. The growth rate in the production and export of pomegranate during the post-WTO period were higher than the pre-WTO. Direction of trade indicated that Saudi Arabia and UAE were the stable importers. A number of measures are taken for enhancing competitiveness. Efforts are needed to popularize Indian pomegranates in Canada, the USA, South America, Australia, Korea, Japan, etc. through fairs, exhibitions, etc.

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT FOR CAROB MOTH (SPECTROBATES CERATONIAE ZELL.) IN IRAN

Carob moth is the most important pest for pomegranate production in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Moreover, stored pomegranates decay by the larvae due to penetration of some microorganisms. Pomegranate farmers lose a huge amount annually because of this pest, sometimes up to 80% loss depending on area and cultivar. Carob moth (Spectrobates ceratoniae) is from the Pyralidae family. It is known as pomegranate fruit neck worm in Persian. In this study, we surveyed research done on the pomegranate fruit neck worm, in order to recommend the best method to control the pest. Finally, an integrated method to control this pest is recommended (based on importance respectively) as follows: 1- prevention, 2- mechanical, and 3- biological, methods. Using resistant cultivars which are suitable for an area, as well as using giant fennel for keeping away the pest, are the most effective methods for prevention. Collecting and burning remainders of old fruits from the previous year left on the ground or on the trees, especially all leftover in whole region, to stop hibernation also cleaning fruit crown before storage are some methods for mechanical control. Propagating and releasing Trichogramma wasps has significant results in biological control.

The Effect of Adding Orgainc fertilizer in the development & Production of Both Pomegranate

This study was conducted in Al-Anbar Province for the season of 2013, in Al-sofyya location, related to Al-Ramadi City near the Euphrates River, the study aims at studying the response of pomegranate trees of the both species "Saleemi" and "Wonderful" to different kinds of composts. Fifty-four trees of two-year old have been chosen from both species with replications planted with dimensions (4x4m). Two kinds of composts (horses and poultries) were used with three levels (0, 3, 6 kg.ltree-1) given the symbol (P0, P1, P2) for horses manure and (H0, H1, H2) for poultries manure. The composts were added on 171 mixed with soil with a depth of 30cm. Afactorial experiment was done (3x3x2) with three replications according to the Randomized Completed Block Design (R.C.B.D). The results have been as follows: 1-Difference in used cultivars did not show any significant impact on the stud ied traits except the fruit size which was the highest (156.3cm3) in Wonderful cultivar compared to the lowest fruit size (150.6cm3) shown by saleemi. 2-Appling both horses and poultry manures significantly affected all studied traits especiaiiy at the higher application level (6kg.lteer-1). 3-Using organic fertlilzer (horses and poulty manures) significantly reduced the nitrate concentration in both Wonderful and Saleemi which was 12.2 and 11.4 mgL-1 at H2 and P2 respectively compared to 15.5 and 14.4 mgL-1 recorded at no organic fertilizer applied (H0 an P0) respectively.

Effects of Self, Open, and Supplementary Pollination on Growth Pattern and Characteristics of Pomegranate Fruit

In the present study the type of pomegranate pollination and its effects on fruit growth pattern and fruit characteristics were investigated throughout the growing season. Adequate flowers of three cultivars were selected and tagged after self and supplementary pollination and intact flowers were allowed for open pollination. Quantitative traits (weight, diameter, and length) of fruit and arils were improved by open and supplementary pollination. Within the qualitative parameters, seed firmness was decreased in open and supplementary pollination especially in ‘Gorch-e-dadashi’ and ‘Zagh-e-yazdi’. Also, seed length was increased by open pollination in ‘Zagh-e-yazdi’, although it was decreased in ‘Postghermez-e-aliaghaei’ and not influenced in ‘Gorch-e-dadashi’. The rate of self-fertility varies between three studied cultivars of pomegranate and Poost ghermez-e-aliaghaei had more self-fertility than Gorch-e-dadashi and Zagh-e-yazdi. Also the results showed a decrease in arils number, fruit, and seed weight of self-pollinated flowers compared to open and supplementary treatment, which could be considered as an existence of incomplete self-compatibility. In conclusion, this research provides further evidence that pollination in terms of open and supplementary is necessary for increasing the quantity and quality potential of fruits in commercial pomegranate production.

Molecular markers : An important tool to assess genetic fidelity in tissue culture grown long-term cultures of economically important fruit plants

India with its wide diversity in climate and soil is bestowed with a variety of ecosystems. It produces a large number of fruits commercially in various agroclimatic zones. India is the second largest producer of fruits with a production of 49 million tons and contributes 10 per cent share in global food production. India occupies first place in production of mango, banana, litchi, papaya, pomegranate and sapota (Anonymous, 2007). It has higher national average productivity in banana and sapota compared to world average productivity. India accounts for an area of 4.96 million hectare under fruit crops with a production of 49.29 million ton. Among states, Maharashtra ranks first in area and production of fruits and contributes 27 per cent and 21.5 per cent, respectively (Anonymous, 2007). Fruits occupy an important place in human diet as they provide a wide variety of nutrients essential for good health and happiness. Fruits contain carbohydrates (source of energy), minerals, dietary fibres, vitamins and some enzymes which are necessary not only for proper body functions but also for providing protection against diseases (Singh, 1969). The fruit plants are propagated both by sexual (seeds) and asexual (vegetative) methods. In sexual method the plants are raised from seeds producing seedlings. In asexual or vegetative propagation of plants, a vegetative part (leaf, stem or root) is placed in such an environment that it develops into a new plant. Conventionally, fruit plants are generally propagated by the vegetative or asexual methods. They involve no change in genetic makeup of the new plant. All the characteristics of the parent plant are reproduced in the daughter plants due to exact duplication of chromosomes during cell division. Thus, the plants are true-to type in growth, ripening, yield and fruit quality. The conventional methods of propagation are generally slow, labour intensive and requiring large number of propagules. Besides this, vegetatively propagated crops are often infested by pests and diseases which cause severe production loss. Most of the fruit plants are woody perennials and take several years to bear. Therefore, propagation of the Molecular markers : An important tool to assess genetic fidelity in tissue culture grown long-term cultures of economically important fruit plants

PACLOBUTRAZOL-INDUCED BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES IN POMEGRANATE (PUNICA GRANATUM L.) CV. ‘MALAS SAVEH’ UNDER FREEZING STRESS

Freezing injury is an important limiting factor in the production of pomegranate in Iran.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of paclobutrazol (PBZ) on cold hardiness of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cv. ‘Malas Saveh’. Different concentrations of PBZ including 0 (control), 31, 62, 125 or 250 mg L–1 were sprayed on one-year-old plants in August and the electrolyte leakage of their stems was measured at three acclimation stages (November, January, and March). PBZ treatments, especially at 125 and 250 mg L–1 concentrations increased cold hardiness, and corresponding soluble carbohydrates and proline contents. The highest variation in freezing tolerance was observed between control and PBZ-treated plants in January, and the lowest found in November. Irrespective of PBZ treatment, correlations between cold hardiness and soluble carbohydrate concentrations were stronger, compared to proline. Soluble carbohydrates were higher in January, associated with deep dormancy, whereas the maximum proline content was detected in March, at deacclimation stage. Results suggest that PBZ application can reduce low temperature-induced dysfunction of cell membrane through increasing soluble carbohydrates and proline contents.

Purification and characterization of a digestive lipase in the midgut of Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Ectomyelois ceratoniae is one of the key constraints in the production of pomegranate and pistachio in Iran. Since there is little knowledge on digestive lipases of insects, the current study aimed to purify and characterize the enzyme in the midgut of E. ceratoniae. Purification by ammonium sulfate, Sephacryl G-100 and Di-ethyl-amino-ethanol (DEAE)–cellulose fast flow revealed an enzyme with a specific activity of 0.4 U mg–1 protein, 29.62 of recovery, 28.57 of purification fold and 25 kDa of molecular weight. The purified lipase showed the highest activities at pH 7 and a temperature of 30°C. The enzyme was stable for 3 h at 30°C. Different concentrations of phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) were used to find possible inhibition of the purified lipase. It was observed that different concentrations of EDTA had no inhibitory effects but different concentrations of PMSF significantly decreased activity of the purified lipase. Since long chain unsaturated fatty acids are essential dietary components, inhibition of digestive lipases may cause severe reduction in growth and development of insects. Hence, study of the biochemical properties of insect digestive lipases is necessary to consider their inhibitions in plant breeding programs as a component of integrated pest management.