Growing of pistachios and botanical description

PISTACHIOS

Botanical species: Pistacia vera L

Genus: Anacardiaceae

Pistachio tree

Origin and spread: The home of pistachios is in the dry regions of central and eastern Asia. Since the last century, pistachios have been artificially planted and experimentally grown in countries like Australia and China.

Climatic and soil conditions: Pistachios require a long and dry summer period. Regions with a high degree of relative humidity are not suitable. Pistachios prefer well dried soil and they are resistant even to alkaline and salt soils. Trees need very little water but great care. They grow up and have fruit after 6 to 7 years of being planted and live for a long time, sometimes even more than one hundred years.

Tree: xerophtalmic, deciduous, dioecious (separate male and female trees), growing to a height of 8 to 10 metres.

Varieties: Some one hundred varieties of pistachio have been described in the world. This is a very small number when compared with other kinds of fruit in mild zones, which have a very similar history.

Being a dioecious plant, pistachios have separate sexes, both – male as well as female trees produce edible nuts. Female trees, usually a Kerman species, are pollinated by means of wind, usually with a male species called Peters, which received its name after its discoverer – A. B. Peters. There is only a small amount of plants of other kinds. The distance between male and female plants is of special importance from the viewpoint of the regimen, where male trees do not create seeds, they are mixed among female varieties and they will ensure sufficient pollination.

Fruit composition: Proteins – 20%, fats – 50%, carbohydrates – 16%, fibre – 2%, sugars – 4%, minerals (Ca, P, Fe, K, Mg) – 2%, unsaturated/saturated acids – 6%.

Nutrition value: some 600 calories in 100 g of nuts, not containing any cholesterol

Blossom period: April. Female trees are in blossom for the last 3 to 4 weeks while male ones get rid of pollen after two weeks. A lot of male varieties are in blossom earlier than female ones, thus providing a guarantee of a relatively long pollinating period, which is necessary for early transfer of pollen to orchids for male varieties that are in blossom in a medium or later period. While in blossom, pistachios are rather sensitive to cold weather which may affect the yields essentially.

Navigace

Reklama