干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is one of the important fruit plants of the semi-arid and arid region of the country. It is used for fresh consumption and processing. The sour type pomegranate is also in demand for garnishing many dishes. Seventeen germplasms were collected from foot hills of Himachal Pradesh, were evaluated for growth, flowering, fruiting, yield and quality of fruits at CIAH, Bikaner. Three plants of each germplasm were planted at 4x6 m distance. Out of collections, 14 germplasms adopted well to hot arid conditions. The maximum plant height 2.70 m and canopy 2.5x2.6 m was recorded in Collection No. 17 after the sixth year of planting. Flowering and fruiting in all types started after 3-4 years of planting. The flowering during the month of August-September was found better for fruiting and yield. Pests and disease pressure was low under arid environment. At initial stage, fruiting in germplasm varied from 10 to 40 fruits/plant with a fruit weight of less than 100 g. The quality parameters of fruits also varied among collections. In the present paper, performance of anardana type pomegranate under arid conditions has been discussed.