Effects of Deficit Irrigation on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) Grown in Semi-Arid Conditions
Water scarcity, especially in countries like Egypt, is one of the biggest challenges facing agricultural development. Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) is drought-resistant but only if the irrigation can be optimized. This can be a crucial approach toward the country’s agricultural de...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Islam F. Hassan Rahaf Ajaj Ahmed F. Abd El-Khalek Shamel M. Alam-Eldein Maybelle S. Gaballah Habib ur Rehman Athar Harlene M. Hatterman-Valenti |
| author_facet | Islam F. Hassan Rahaf Ajaj Ahmed F. Abd El-Khalek Shamel M. Alam-Eldein Maybelle S. Gaballah Habib ur Rehman Athar Harlene M. Hatterman-Valenti |
| author_sort | Islam F. Hassan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Water scarcity, especially in countries like Egypt, is one of the biggest challenges facing agricultural development. Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) is drought-resistant but only if the irrigation can be optimized. This can be a crucial approach toward the country’s agricultural development. The impact of deficit irrigation on pomegranate growth, yield, and overall fruit quality was observed during this study, which focused on two consecutive years from 2023 to 2024 at a private farm located in El Khatatba, Egypt. It was determined that deficit irrigation of pomegranate was able to achieve a high level of water productivity whilst also achieving a reasonable yield. Trees receiving moderate deficit irrigation had a yield decrease of 10% in comparison to full irrigation; however, this yield decrease did not have a huge overall impact because the level of water saved during the process made up for the reduced yield. Moreover, fruit soluble solids content (SSC) was high when trees received moderate deficit irrigation. Trees that were given severe deficit irrigation had the lowest fruit yields with less juice content, which limits targeted uses like the juice market. Still, these trees produced the highest SSC indicating that sugar becomes concentrated in the fruit when plants are water-stressed. In general, the most efficient treatment was moderate deficit irrigation as it balanced the yield and quality parameters with less water. The resulting data provide assurance that moderate deficit irrigation can be effectively and suitably implemented for pomegranate production in arid regions where water conservation and market quality standards must be satisfied in order to be economically viable. There is also a need to examine the longer-term effects of DI on economic sustainability, plant physiology, and soil biomes. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj-art-1485dc705507414d87cb15a4d1a897652025-01-24T13:34:46ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242025-01-0111110110.3390/horticulturae11010101Effects of Deficit Irrigation on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) Grown in Semi-Arid ConditionsIslam F. Hassan0Rahaf Ajaj1Ahmed F. Abd El-Khalek2Shamel M. Alam-Eldein3Maybelle S. Gaballah4Habib ur Rehman Athar5Harlene M. Hatterman-Valenti6Water Relations and Field Irrigation Department, Agricultural and Biological Research Institute, National Research Center, Giza 12622, EgyptDepartment of Environmental and Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi 59911, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, EgyptDepartment of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, EgyptWater Relations and Field Irrigation Department, Agricultural and Biological Research Institute, National Research Center, Giza 12622, EgyptInstitute of Botany, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, PakistanDepartment of Plant Sciences, Department 7670, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USAWater scarcity, especially in countries like Egypt, is one of the biggest challenges facing agricultural development. Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) is drought-resistant but only if the irrigation can be optimized. This can be a crucial approach toward the country’s agricultural development. The impact of deficit irrigation on pomegranate growth, yield, and overall fruit quality was observed during this study, which focused on two consecutive years from 2023 to 2024 at a private farm located in El Khatatba, Egypt. It was determined that deficit irrigation of pomegranate was able to achieve a high level of water productivity whilst also achieving a reasonable yield. Trees receiving moderate deficit irrigation had a yield decrease of 10% in comparison to full irrigation; however, this yield decrease did not have a huge overall impact because the level of water saved during the process made up for the reduced yield. Moreover, fruit soluble solids content (SSC) was high when trees received moderate deficit irrigation. Trees that were given severe deficit irrigation had the lowest fruit yields with less juice content, which limits targeted uses like the juice market. Still, these trees produced the highest SSC indicating that sugar becomes concentrated in the fruit when plants are water-stressed. In general, the most efficient treatment was moderate deficit irrigation as it balanced the yield and quality parameters with less water. The resulting data provide assurance that moderate deficit irrigation can be effectively and suitably implemented for pomegranate production in arid regions where water conservation and market quality standards must be satisfied in order to be economically viable. There is also a need to examine the longer-term effects of DI on economic sustainability, plant physiology, and soil biomes.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/1/101pomegranatedeficit irrigationfruitwater use efficiency |
| spellingShingle | Islam F. Hassan Rahaf Ajaj Ahmed F. Abd El-Khalek Shamel M. Alam-Eldein Maybelle S. Gaballah Habib ur Rehman Athar Harlene M. Hatterman-Valenti Effects of Deficit Irrigation on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) Grown in Semi-Arid Conditions Horticulturae pomegranate deficit irrigation fruit water use efficiency |
| title | Effects of Deficit Irrigation on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) Grown in Semi-Arid Conditions |
| title_full | Effects of Deficit Irrigation on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) Grown in Semi-Arid Conditions |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Deficit Irrigation on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) Grown in Semi-Arid Conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Deficit Irrigation on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) Grown in Semi-Arid Conditions |
| title_short | Effects of Deficit Irrigation on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Pomegranate (<i>Punica granatum</i>) Grown in Semi-Arid Conditions |
| title_sort | effects of deficit irrigation on growth yield and quality of pomegranate i punica granatum i grown in semi arid conditions |
| topic | pomegranate deficit irrigation fruit water use efficiency |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/1/101 |
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