Pomegrenate

Climate and soil

Producing fruits of superior quality requires a cool winter and a dry summer. It works effectively at elevations up to 1800 metres. It may grow on a range of soil types. It needed deep loamy and alluvial soils for the best growth and output. It may grow in loamy, somewhat alkaline soils. Additionally, it is grown on poor soils. Pomegranate cultivation is also excellent for medium and black soils.

Land Preparation
Bring the soil to a fine tilth by ploughing the ground two or three times. After that, do a planking operation to level and align the terrain.
Seed rate and spacing
Seedling rate: 240 plants per acre.The best spacing will vary based on the soil and environment. If a square planting system is used for pomegranate planting, apply 4 m × 4 m spacing.
Intercultural operation
o Mulching can be used to manage weeds. In addition to weed control, it aids in moisture conservation and lowers evaporation loss. o Pruning and training encourage the development of young, healthy shoots. It eliminates branch overpopulation and removes old and diseased branches. It also keeps the plant in its right form
Crop nutrition management
Crop nutrition management
Irrigation Management
Apply irrigation every 10 to 15 days during the summer, and every 20 to 25 days during the winter.
Weed management
Applying non-selective herbicides like Glyphosate (10 ml/l) or Paraquat (10 ml/l) in between the trees with a hand sprayer will help limit weed growth in pomegranate orchards while preventing spray drift into the fruit's leaves.
Insect pest management

Anar butterfly: Deudorix (Virachola) Isocrates

  1. Gather and eliminate any damaged fruit.
  2. weed plants can act as hosts, so they should be removed.
  3. Grow less sensitive varieties in endemic regions.
  4. When the fruit is up to 5 cm, cover it with plastic bags.
  5. Use a light trap at 1/ha to keep an eye on adult activities.
  6. Apply one of the insecticides in two rounds, once during flower development and once more at fruit set, such as dimethoate 30 EC 0.06% or malathion 50 EC 0.1%.
  7. Spray NSKE 5% or neem formulations at the blooming stage (2 ml/lit).
  8. Release one lakh/acre of Trichogramma chilonis.

Whitefly: Siphoninus phillyreae

  1. Sanitation in the field is advised.
  2. The host plants should be taken out.
  3. It is recommended to install yellow sticky traps.
  4. Spraying with NSKE 5% or 3% neem oil is advised.
  5. Release of two predators: the lace wing fly, Mallada astur, and the coccinellid predator, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
  6. Release of the parasitoids Encarsia guadeloupae and E.haitierrsis

Fruit borer: Conogethes punctiferalis

  1. Gather and eliminate any ruined fruit.
  2. Weed plants should be eliminated since they act as additional hosts.
  3. Use a light trap at 1/ha to keep an eye on adult activities.
  4. Apply one of the insecticides in two rounds, once during the formation of flowers and once more at fruit set: Dimethoate 30 EC 0.06% or Malathion 50 EC 0.1%.

Aphid: Aphis punicae

  1. Gather and eliminate the damaged plant materials.
  2. Utilise the yellow sticky trap.
  3. To effectively handle this pest, apply a spray of dimethoate 25 EC or methyl demeton 30 EC at 2 ml/lit.
  4. Release Chrysoperla carnea first instar larvae at 15 / flowering branch (four times) at 10-day intervals beginning with the onset of blooming in April.

 Tailed mealy bug: Ferrisia virgate

  1. Gather and eliminate the infected plant materials.
  2. Take away alternative hosts.
  3. Spray Monocrotophos 36 WSC or Methyl Demeton 25 EC, 2 ml/lit
  4. Dichlorovas 76 WSC 1ml/lit + fish oil rosin soap 25 g/lit is advised for spray application.
  5. Ten Cryptolaemous montrouzieri insects per tree should be released.
Plant diseases management

Cercospora fruit Spot

  1. The contaminated fruit should be gathered and disposed of.
  2. It is advised to apply two to three sprays of Mancozeb 0.25% spaced 15 days apart.

Leaf Spot or Blight

  1. Spraying Mancozeb 0.25% at 15-day intervals provides effective disease control.

 Alternaria Fruit Spot

  1. The diseased fruits should all be gathered and disposed of.
  2. The disease can be efficiently managed by spraying Mancozeb 0.25%.
Harvesting & post-harvest management

Within 5 to 6 months of flowering fruits reach maturity. The best time to harvest fruit is when it turns from green to a light yellow or red colour, or when the fruit begins to mature. Avoid delaying the harvest because doing so will cause fruit to break, which reduces production.

Fruits should be kept in shadows for a week after picking. It will assist in fruit skin hardening. so that there is less damage during shipment. Fruits are graded based on their weight.