Jyothi, Ganesh, Arakta, Rudhra, Mridhula, Bhagwa, Ruby, YCD-1, G 137, Solapur Lal and Solapur Anardana, Bacterial blight tolerant varieties: Nayana, Kalpitiya, Nana and Daru.
It is grown in a wide range of soils; drought resistant and tolerant to salinity and alkalinity.
Cool winter and dry summer are necessary for production of high quality fruits.It performs well up to1800m elevation.
Rooted cuttings or layers of 12 to18 months age can be planted during June to December in pits of 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm at 2.5 to 3m spacing either way.
24 – 30 months.
Hardwood cutting of 15 cm length and 6 mm thickness. Pre-treat with Carbendazim (0.1%) + Bactronol (2 –Bromo, 2- Nitropropane, 1-3 diol) @ 0.05% for 10 minutes, followed by one washing with tap water and dipping the lower half of the cuttings for 5 minutes in 2000ppm IBA. Maintain 85% relative humidity.
NAA 10 mg/l as foliar spray during September when new flush initiation occurs
Copious irrigation is essential during fruiting season.
Manures and Fertilizers 1st year 2nd-5th year 6th year onwards
(kg) (kg) (kg)
FYM 10.00 20.00 30.00
N 0.20 0.40 0.60
P 0.10 0.25 0.50
K 0.40 0.80 1.200
Fruits are borne terminally on shoots emerging from mature wood. To promote new shoots on all sides, annual pruning is done after harvest is completed during December by shortening of past season shoot by removing one third of the shoot. Besides, dried, disease affected, criss-cross branches and root suckers/ water sprouts are removed. The plant is trained to get a single stem up to 60 cm with 3 or 4 scaffold branches.
Thinning of flower clusters ensures better size of the fruit.
Spraying liquid paraffin at 1%concentration at 15days interval twice during June reduces fruit cracking.
Pomegranate flowers continuously when watered regularly. The plants under such
conditions may continue bearing flowers and bear small crop irregularly at different period of
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the year, which may not be desirable commercially. To avoid this trees are given bahar
treatment. In this treatment, the irrigation is withheld two months prior to the bahar followed by
light earthing up in the basin. This facilitates the shedding of leaves. The trees are then
medium pruned 40-45 days after withholding irrigation. The recommended doses of fertilizers
are applied immediately after pruning and irrigation is resumed. This leads to profuse flowering
and fruiting. The fruits are ready for harvest 4-5 months after flowering.
In tropical condition, there are three flowering seasons, viz., January-February (ambia
bahar) June -July (mrig bahar) and September-October (hasta bahar). The choice of
flowering/fruiting is regulated taking into consideration the availability of irrigation water,
market demand and pest/disease incidence in a given locality.
Bahar Flower initiation
month
Harvesting month Remarks
Ambe January-February June to September More flowering and high yield
Mrig SeptemberOctober
December to
February
More prone to diseases and insect
pests. Fruit Quality is not very good.
It should be avoided increases
receiving high rainfall during July –
September
Hasta June -July March to April Flowering good. Fruit colour and
quality best as fruits mature in cold
season, fetches higher market price.
Preferred for export
(Source: NHB)
The avoid can be taken depending on water availability, peat and disease incidence and
market demand. Ambe Bahar is most commonly preferred by the growers because of high
yield as compared to other flowering season.
Irrigation is withheld two months prior to the bahar. In case of light sandy and shallow
soils, withhold water for 4–5 weeks. Such results in water stress, leaves show wilting and
fall on the ground
Application of ethrel spray at 2 to 2.5 ml/l mixed with 5 g/l of DAP
The trees medium pruned 40-45 days after withholding irrigation
Cover the roots with a mixture of soil and FYM and give light irrigation
Pests
Aphids Release first instar larvae of green lace wing predator
Chrysoperla carnea @ 50 grubs/ flowering branch four times
at 10 days interval starting from flower initiation during April.
Fruit Borer Remove calyx to discourage egg laying wherever possible
Cover fruits with neem oil dipped cloth bags during flowering
period to prevent egg-laying.
Spray neem oil 3 % or NSKE 5% or spinosad @ 0.4 ml/lit at
the time of butterfly activity.
When the fruits are in marble stage, release Trichogramma
chilonis @ 1 lakh/acre
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Scales Spray quinalphos 25 EC 4ml/ l.
Thrips Spray cyantraniliprole 10.26 OD 7.5 ml/10l.
Whitefly Spray cyantraniliprole 10.26 OD 9.0 ml/10l.
Aphids Spray cyantraniliprole 10.26 OD 9.0 ml/10l.
CIB recommendation for fruit rot:
Spray difenaconazole 25% EC @ 1 ml/l or pyraclostrobin 133g/l+epoxiconazole 50g/l
SE @ 3 g/l
CIB recommendation for Anthracnose
Spray kitazin 48% EC @ 0.2%
The propagating materials such as ground layers, grafts, rootstocks used for grafting,
clones and rooted cuttings infested with root knot nematode, M.incognita in pomegranate act
as sources for dissemination of these nematodes into main field. Use of air layers and
sterilized soil media or adopting soil less media (vermiculite and coir pith) can keep the
nematodes from entering the root system at nursery stage.
20-25 t /ha/year
The fruits can be stored up to 6 months at 0 to 4.5°C and 80% RH.
Growing Districts: Dindigul, Erode, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli
Major Markets in Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore, Chennai
Preferred Varieties and Hybrids: Bhagwa, Ruby (IIHR)
Grade Specification: Size, Shape , Colour, Softness of seeds