Botanical Name: Punica granatum
Family: Lythraceae
The chromosome number of pomegranate is 2n = 18.
1. Climatic conditions:
Pomegranate thrives well in semi-arid to arid climate conditions with hot summers and cold winters. The ideal temperature range is 15°C to 32°C. Pomegranate can tolerate drought, but excessive rainfall can damage the fruit quality.
2. Soil:
Pomegranate prefers well-drained sandy loam to clay loam soil with a pH range of 6.5 to 7.5. It is susceptible to waterlogged and heavy soils.
3. Propagation:
Pomegranate can be propagated by seeds, cuttings, and air layering. However, grafting onto a suitable rootstock is the most common propagation method.
4. Planting:
Pomegranate planting is done during the monsoon season (June to July) or the winter season (December to January). The recommended seed rate is 200 to 250 g/ha. The spacing between plants should be 4.5 to 6 meters.
5. Irrigation:
Pomegranate requires regular watering from the day of sowing until the first year of planting. After that, irrigation can be reduced, and only moderate watering is required.
6. Manures and fertilizers:
Organic manures such as farmyard manure or compost can be applied at the rate of 25 to 30 kg per plant per year. The recommended NPK dose per plant per year is 150-200 g N, 75-100 g P2O5, and 250-300 g K2O.
7. Training and pruning:
Pomegranate requires a balanced framework to support fruiting branches, so training and pruning are essential. It is done during the initial years of planting to maintain a central leader and a few scaffold branches.
8. Varieties:
Some of the popular pomegranate varieties are Wonderful, Mridula, Bhagwa, Ruby, and Ganesh.
9. Maturity indices:
Pomegranate fruit maturity can be determined by the change in skin color from green to reddish-brown and by the sound produced on tapping the fruit. The fruit should also be slightly soft when pressed.
10. Harvesting stage and yield:
Pomegranate is harvested when the fruit is mature and fully ripe. It takes about 6-7 months from flowering to harvest. The average yield of pomegranate per hectare is around 12-15 tonnes.
