Quality attributes of pistachio nuts as affected by rootstocks and deficit irrigation

BACKGROUND: In this work, the influence of two regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) treatments and three different rootstocks on the quality of pistachios was evaluated by analyzing different parameters: morphological analysis, physicochemical analysis and sensory analysis. RESULTS: The results obtained in terms of the choice of rootstock revealed that Pistacia atlantica had increased production yields, nut weight, mineral content, higher intensities of characteristic sensory attributes and a higher degree of consumer satisfaction, than the other rootstocks studied. Moreover, the results established that the application of RDI on pistachio cultivation had no significant influence on production yield, weight, size, colour, water activity or mineral composition. Furthermore, T1 treatment (stem water potential?Pistacia atlantica rootstock provided better yield and quality than the other rootstocks studied. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry

Water stress thresholds for regulated deficit irrigation in pistachio trees

The response of "Kerman" pistachio trees budded on three different rootstocks (Pistacia terebinthus, Pista-cia atlantica and Pistacia integerrima) to regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) in shallow soils was studied for3 years. The trees were either fully irrigated (C treatment) or subjected to deficit irrigation during Stage IIof fruit growth with two water stress thresholds (T1 and T2). The irrigation scheduling for fully-irrigatedtrees and water-stressed trees was managed by means of midday stem water potential (?stem) measure-ments. The use of direct measurements of the water status allowed estimating accurately the irrigationrequirements for pistachio trees, with water reductions ranging from 46 to 205 mm in fully-irrigatedtrees. The combination of the ?stemuse and the RDI regime saved 43?70% in T1 and 48?73% in T2 ofwater compared to the calculated crop evapotranspiration (ETc) for fully irrigated treatment (C).Deficit irrigation during Stage II significantly reduced the vegetative growth of the trees. Yield and fruitquality were not affected by any irrigation regime, except during the first year of the study. Thus, theresults indicate that full irrigation scheduling and RDI can be achieved successfully using ?stemtool onpistachio trees growing in shallow soils. A ?stemthreshold of ?1.5 MPa during stage II (T1) was suggestedfor RDI scheduling, as it did not reduce the yield or the production value. However a ?stemthresholdof ?2.0 MPa (T2) resulted in a significant reduction and an extensive delay in the recovery of stomatalconductance (gl),with negative effects on long-term pistachio production.P. integerrima showed a weaker capacity of adaptation to the study conditions compared to P. atlanticaand P. terebinthus, having a tendency to get more stressed and to produce a lower quality crop.

El pistachero: interesante alternativa de cultivo en España.

El pistachero, Pistacia vera L. (Anacardiaceae) es un árbol caducifolio de pequeño porte, originario de Asia central, cultivado por sus semillas, los apreciados pistachos. Los principales productores son Irán, Estados Unidos (California), Siria, Turquía, China, Grecia e Italia. Desde 1988, a través del Centro de Mejora Agraria El Chaparrillo, de Ciudad Real, este cultivo ha despertado un notable interés en España, sobre todo en zonas de clima continental. La mayoría de las plantaciones españolas tienen menos de 20 años y ocupan una superficie total estimada en unas 5.000 ha. Se trata de un cultivo con un gran futuro, tanto por la demanda existente (sus semillas son los “frutos secos” más cardiosaludables, contienen ácidos grasos de calidad, pocas calorías, ausencia de colesterol y alto contenido en fibra y vitaminas), como por las ventajas medioambientales que supone (evita la pérdida de suelo por la ramificación de sus raíces, permite la reutilización de terrenos abandonados, y representa una buena alternativa a cultivos mediterráneos tradicionales como la vid y el olivo).