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Essay on Pomegranate
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Origin and History of Pomegranate
- Essay on the Area and Production of Pomegranate
- Essay on the Importance and Uses of Pomegranate
- Essay on the Insect-Pests of Pomegranate
- Essay on the Diseases of Pomegranate
- Essay on the Disorder of Pomegranate
Essay # 1. Origin and History of Pomegranate:
The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a common table fruit and is very much liked for its refreshing juice, which has a high medicinal value.
The hardy nature, low maintenance cost, high yields, better keeping quality and survival without irrigation make pomegranate cultivation a paying proposition.
Pomegranate belonging to the family Lythraceae is a favourite table fruits of tropical and subtropical regions. The fruit is native of Iran, where it was first cultivated in about 2000 B.C. ago. It spread to Mediterranean countries like Spain, Morocco, Iran, Egypt, Afghanistan and Baluchistan at a very early date. The pomegranate is known to have been cultivated in the Middle East more than 5000 years ago.
It is now extensively cultivated in Baluchistan, Pakistan, India, Morocco, Iraq, China, Egypt, Iran, Spain, Afghanistan, Japan and Russia. The fruits grown in Kabul and Baluchistan considered extremely superior in quality. The north-western region of Pakistan is known for production of high class pomegranates.
Essay # 2. Area and Production of Pomegranate:
India ranks first with respect to pomegranate area and production in the world. The other pomegranate producing countries are Iran, Turkey, Span, Tunisia, Morocco, Afghanistan, China, Greece, Japan, etc. India contributes 70 per cent to the world pomegranate market. The good quality pomegranate is produced in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Morocco and Spain.
In India, pomegranate is cultivated on 1.12 lakh hectares area accounting for 1.7 per cent of the area under fruits. Pomegranate growing states in India are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. Maharashtra has maximum area of 82000 hectares under this fruit crop with annual production of 4.78 lakh mt.
Maharashtra contributes about 73 percent of the total area followed by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The productivity of fruit is the highest (26.4 mt/ha) in Tamil Nadu. Major pomegranate producing areas in Maharashtra are Nasik, Sangli, Sholapur, Satara, Ahmednagar, Buldhana, Beed, Aurangabad, and Washim. In Karnataka, it is growing mainly in Bijapur, Bellary, Koppal, Bagalkot, Belgaum etc.
Export Potential:
India is exporting pomegranate to UAE, Netherlands, UK, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Baharain, Kuwait, Thailand, Nepal and Oman. About 40 per cent of pomegranate crop is exported from India to other countries. India exported 30158 mt fruit valued at Rs. 1473 million in 2011-12.
Essay # 3. Importance and Uses of Pomegranate:
Pomegranate is considered highly nutritious fruit. The edible portion in this fruit is 68 per cent. It contains moisture 78%, protein 1.6%, carbohydrates 14.5%, calcium 10 mg/100 g, phosphorus 70 mg/100 g, iron 0.3 mg/100 g, riboflavin 0.10 mg/100 g and vitamin C 16 mg/ 100 g fruit.
The fruits are mainly used for dessert purposes. The fresh fruit is of exquisite quality while its processed products like bottled juice, syrups and jelly are highly appreciated. The juice is considered useful for patients suffering from leprosy.
The fruit juice easily ferments and may be used for the production of wine. The juice of wild pomegranates is used in the manufacture of citric acid and sodium citrate for medicinal purpose. The bark of the stem and root contain a number of alkaloid belonging to pyridine group. It is also employed in the therapeutics in dysentery and diarrhoea. The pomegranate is known best for curing the chronic stomach ailment. The pomegranate seed contains oil which has a potential for industrial use.
Essay # 4. Insect-Pests of Pomegranate:
1. Fruit Borer or Pomegranate Butterfly (Deudorix Isocrates):
This is a serious pest found all over India. Infestation starts from flowering to button stage. The caterpillar bore inside the developing fruits. Such infested fruits are also invaded by bacteria and fungi and causing fruit to rot. Such affected fruits fall down.
Collect and destroy the affected fruits. Spray young fruits with 625 ml of monocrotophos 40 EC in 500 litres of water per ha. Also, bags young fruits with, coarse cloth or muslin cloth or polythene of 300 gauge thickness.
2. Bark Eating Caterpillar (Indarbela Tetraonis):
This pest bore into the bark of pomegranate tree and feeding inside. Trees become weak and do not bear fruits.
Avoid over-crowding of trees by removing unwanted twigs. Clean the affected portions by removing all webs. Inject kerosene oil or petrol and plug the hole with cotton wool soaked in carbon bisulphide.
3. Stem Borer (Coeleosterna Spinator):
The caterpillar of this pest makes a hole and bores through the main trunk or main branches. It comes out at night and feeds on bark.
Clean the hole by removing insect excreta with the help of a hooked wire. Plug the hole with cotton plug dipped in petrol, chloroform, carbon bisulphide or kerosene oil followed by sealing it with mud or painting with coaltar.
4. Sap Sucking Insects:
These are mealy bugs, scale insects, thrips, aphids, mites cause shedding of buds, flowers and fruits at very young stage.
(i) Spray Durmet/Durban 20 EC (chlorpyriphos) @ 3.75 ml in one litre of water on the appearance of mealy bugs and scale insects.
(ii) Spray 500 ml Rogor 30 EC (dimethoate) in 500 litres of water for the control of white flies, aphids and thrips.
(iii) Spray water soluble sulphur 1.25 g/litre for the control of red mites.
Essay # 5. Diseases of Pomegranate:
1. Leaf Spot- Xanthomonas Punicae, Colletotrichum Gloeosporioides:
The former pathogen is bacterium and the latter is fungal. The bacterium pathogen causes irregular water-soaked spots on leaves. They are light brown to dark brown in appearance. The leaf spot caused by fungus, produce minute, violet black or black spots on leaf.
For their control, collect the fallen leaves and fruits and destroy them. Spray 0.2 % Captan or Dithane M-45 at fortnightly interval.
2. Fruit Rot- Phomopsis Sp.:
The flowers are affected and fail to set fruit. The young fruits may drop pre-maturely. Yellow or black spots appear all over the fruit. The disease spreads through the seeds of affected fruits. The incidence is wide spread during rainy season.
Remove all affected twigs, fruits and burn them. Spray Dithane Z-78 at 0.2 per cent at fortnightly interval.
3. Black Rot- (Xanthomonas Axonopodis Pv. Punicae):
The disease is caused by a bacterium. Black spots develop on the mature fruits as soon as the rain starts. The intensity increases with the increase in humidity.
The disease can be controlled by spraying Bordeaux mixture (2:2:250) during May and again in June and July.
Essay # 6. Disorder of Pomegranate:
Cracking or Splitting of Fruits:
This disorder is reported to be due to boron and calcium deficiency. There is further attack of insects or fungal attack on the cracked fruits. So fruits become unfit for marketing. The Mrig bahar crop is more susceptible to cracking than the crop of other bahars.
Main cause of this malady is the wide variation in moisture content of the soil as well as in the humidity of air due to monsoon. If there is a sudden break in the rains during August, the growth of fruit is arrested. So as a result of the dry atmosphere that follows, the elasticity of the skin is lost; then there is rain again and growth restarts, results in cracking of fruit skin.
Thus cracking of fruits is mostly due to irregular water supply to the trees. Ambe-bahar crop is regularly irrigated, so it does not crack badly. The best treatment is to give regular irrigations to the Ambe-bahar crop taking care that at no stage there is a scarcity of water.
In case of Mrig-bahar crop, the splitting of fruits cannot be controlled altogether as the variation in humidity cannot control cracking and can, however, be minimised if the plants are regularly irrigated whenever there is a break in rain. Cracking is correlated with rind thickness. Cultivars like Karkai, Gule-Shah, Bedana, Khog and Jalore Seedless are comparatively tolerant to fruit cracking.
For checking fruit splitting in pomegranate, supply soil moisture regularly through light irrigations. Plant windbreak is around the pomegranate plantation. Spray borax @ of 0.1 per cent. In the month of June, give a spray application of GA3 at 250 ppm. It is better to plant only those varieties which are less prone to fruit cracking.