A STUDY ON THE SUPPLEMENTAL POLLINATION OF PISTACHIOS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION

The pistachio production of the Mediterranean Region has long been suffering from an insufficient pollination with not enough male trees in the orchards.
In this study, it was demonstrated that the pollen collected from P. terebinthus bushes which grow abundantly at low altitudes of the Taurus Mountains could be used for the supplemental pollination of pistachio trees (P. vera) to improve their fruit set and filled nut percentages.

The germination rate of P. terebinthus pollen was found as high as 90 %. The mixtures of 1 %, 5 % and 10 % of pollenl+flour or pure pollen were sprayed to the pistachio trees at the beginning of the flowering stage.
The rate of fruit set was about 12 % in the naturally pollinated ones.
The percentage of blank nuts were decreased from 20 % (in natural pollinated trees) to about 10 % (in trees sprayed with the mixtures of pollen+flour) or to 6% (in trees sprayed with pure pollen).

I International Symposium on Pistachio

S. ÇAGLAR, N. KASKA

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.419.6