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Botany and pistachio cultivation

Pistachio Botany

Domestic pistachio belongs to the genus Pistacia Vera L. and belongs to the genus Sumac (Anacardiaceae) and grows as a tree or shrub. There are 11 species of the genus Pistacia, all of which secrete turpentine or turpentine. This tree has compound comb leaves and each leaf contains a lateral bud.

Most of the lateral buds become the primary inflorescence and form a main axis that turns into a pistachio cluster the following year, so pistachio clusters are produced laterally on the annual branch.

 Botany and pistachio cultivation

Rooting

The pistachio tree is one of the deciduous trees, meaning that in autumn, when the weather cools down, it falls into hibernation. The pistachio tree produces vertical and axial roots and its roots do not have much horizontal expansion but penetrate to a depth of more than 2 meters.

By penetrating deep into the soil, the roots of this plant can provide the water and nutrients needed by the plant, and as a result, pistachio trees can withstand long droughts.

The main root of this tree has a great role in nourishing the tree and the production of lateral roots in this tree is very small, if the main root is destroyed for any reason, the tree will dry out.

The initial stages of pistachio growth are very slow and this tree does not produce much fruit until the age of 5, gradually with the increase of the age of the tree at the age of 10 to 12, the fruiting of the pistachio tree will reach its full and economic size.

Pistachio tree tends to grow more vertically and with the rapid growth of apical buds, it prevents the growth of lateral branches, and this plays a very important role in how to grow young seedlings , strong > Pruning mature trees and rejuvenating old trees . Botanically, pistachio fruit is one of the shaft fruits, the difference between the shaft fruits is in their edible part. Pistachio is a dicotyledonous tree , meaning that both male and female stems must be present in the garden to produce fruit.

 

Male flower profile

It is very difficult to distinguish between male and female trees, and for this we have to wait for spring and the trees to flower. Of course, experienced professionals and gardeners can distinguish between male and female trees by examining the size of the trees, the shape of the leaves, the shape of the buds, and how they are placed on the branches.

Male trees flower in April, usually about 5 to 7 days earlier than female trees. The flowers are clustered and each cluster consists of a dense mass of flowers. Flowers are true without petals and sepals. Each male flower consists of 5 oval flags with a short green rod.

 

Pollination

Pistachio flowers have no petals and do not produce nectar, so they do not attract pollinating insects (such as bees) and the pollen is dispersed only by wind.

 

Different planting stages

 

– Land preparation

The following should be considered when examining the condition of the soil:

After soil and soil sampling, if the results of the experiments were suitable for creating a garden, it is necessary to dig profiles up to a maximum depth of 2 meters for complete and complete identification, especially at greater soil depths, for complete soil identification and classification.

Pistachio cultivation is usually done in areas with water shortages or salinity of water and soil; Although pistachios are highly resistant to salinity and water shortages, these conditions greatly reduce the tree’s ability to produce economically, and therefore it is necessary to reduce these stresses as much as possible and to support the trees. For example, when planting trees, if the topsoil is salt-laden, a thin layer of topsoil can be collected and removed from the field.

Another thing to consider when planting is the soil texture. If the soil texture is completely sandy or has hard layers at a depth of less than 2 meters, you should not plant your trees in it and you should cultivate the land. Also, if the soil is in layers (sandy layer and clay layer), before planting, the soil should be thoroughly mixed and homogeneous along the planting rows, at least one meter wide and to a depth of about two meters, and then proceed. Cultivate.

If flood irrigation is used, the land should have a slope of about 1 to 2%. The soil of the planting site may also need to be improved, in which case rotten gypsum or sulfur and manure can be added to the soil.

Also, to improve the soil, if the soil pH is higher than 7.5 or 8, the exchangeable sodium should be measured and the appropriate amount of gypsum or sulfur per hectare should be calculated and added to the soil, taking into account the appropriate amount. Soil remediation with this method will be done in a long time and over time (at least 2 to 4 years). .

Note: Gypsum can be used to improve the soil (depending on soil conditions) alone, but the use of sulfur without animal manure is useless due to the lack of organic matter in most soils of Iran and should be used together to improve the soil.

At the time of planting, if irrigation after planting is to be done by flood method

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