Articles
A year-round evergreen houseplant with edible fruit: dwarf pomegranate (Punica granatum var. nana)
Article number
1460_21
Pages
169 – 182
Language
English
Abstract
Increased interest in houseplants (flowering, foliage potted plants) during the Covid-19 pandemic has continued, particularly among Gen-Z consumers.
Houseplants provide interior scape color during winter months.
Most houseplants are not edible, and many are poisonous.
Dwarf pomegranates offer several advantages such as edible fruit, evergreen leaves, year-round flowering/fruiting, and red/green colors for important floral holidays (Julian/Orthodox Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day). Seed- and cutting-propagated dwarf pomegranate parents and inbreds were evaluated over 3 years for propagation, growth, flowering, fruit production, and plant shape for use as an edible-fruited houseplant crop.
All genotypes flowered in less than 1 year from rooting or sowing which contrasts with the 2- to 3-year (seed) or 7-year (vegetative) standard rates.
Rooting was tested adding 0, 1000, 3000 or 16000 ppm IBA in silica sand or perlite.
The highest rooting was at 1600 ppm IBA and silica sand, 1000 ppm IBA and perlite.
Seed germination (germ) of parents, inbreds (F2s) varied from 0 to 70% (G1-G8 germ. weeks). Greenhouse (Year 1) and field (Year 2) production trials of two inbred families produced ranges of plant height (41.2-50.5 cm), plant width (36.3-43.4 cm), number nodes/primary stem (40-86), internode length (0.85-0.9 cm), number lateral shoots/primary stem (35-64), visible bud date (VBD; 25-30 weeks), flowering (30-32 wks.), no. flowers/plant (6-60), number fruits/plant (20-62), fruit diameter (2.4-3.7 cm), fruit volume (7.2-26.5 cm3) and no. seeds fruit‑1 (85-188). Fruit sizes are less than commercial Grade 3; aril color was white to red although maturity and harvest dates were difficult to determine.
Early VBD and flowering match Cycle 1 (flowering in <1 year from seed) gladioli and lily selections with reduced juvenility phases without cold treatment.
Small fruit sizes show adaptability to bite-sized fruit production, like fresh eating apples.
Thus, edible and dwarf pomegranates would be an ideal houseplant crop for year-round production and use.
Houseplants provide interior scape color during winter months.
Most houseplants are not edible, and many are poisonous.
Dwarf pomegranates offer several advantages such as edible fruit, evergreen leaves, year-round flowering/fruiting, and red/green colors for important floral holidays (Julian/Orthodox Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day). Seed- and cutting-propagated dwarf pomegranate parents and inbreds were evaluated over 3 years for propagation, growth, flowering, fruit production, and plant shape for use as an edible-fruited houseplant crop.
All genotypes flowered in less than 1 year from rooting or sowing which contrasts with the 2- to 3-year (seed) or 7-year (vegetative) standard rates.
Rooting was tested adding 0, 1000, 3000 or 16000 ppm IBA in silica sand or perlite.
The highest rooting was at 1600 ppm IBA and silica sand, 1000 ppm IBA and perlite.
Seed germination (germ) of parents, inbreds (F2s) varied from 0 to 70% (G1-G8 germ. weeks). Greenhouse (Year 1) and field (Year 2) production trials of two inbred families produced ranges of plant height (41.2-50.5 cm), plant width (36.3-43.4 cm), number nodes/primary stem (40-86), internode length (0.85-0.9 cm), number lateral shoots/primary stem (35-64), visible bud date (VBD; 25-30 weeks), flowering (30-32 wks.), no. flowers/plant (6-60), number fruits/plant (20-62), fruit diameter (2.4-3.7 cm), fruit volume (7.2-26.5 cm3) and no. seeds fruit‑1 (85-188). Fruit sizes are less than commercial Grade 3; aril color was white to red although maturity and harvest dates were difficult to determine.
Early VBD and flowering match Cycle 1 (flowering in <1 year from seed) gladioli and lily selections with reduced juvenility phases without cold treatment.
Small fruit sizes show adaptability to bite-sized fruit production, like fresh eating apples.
Thus, edible and dwarf pomegranates would be an ideal houseplant crop for year-round production and use.
Authors
N.O. Anderson
Keywords
bite-sized fruit, edible houseplant, germplasm, flowering potted plants
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