PINE Pistachio – Pistachio Cultivation and Irrigation Pistachio Pruning Pistachio Pruning in the pistachio tree There are pruning pruning to give shape to the tree and to ensure the continuity of this shape. Pistachio shape pruning, these resinous trees do not like excessive branch cutting. The start of pruning during the sapling period is to prevent the cutting of large branches on the mature tree in the future. If scuba sapling application was carried out during the establishment of the garden, pruning should be started 2-3 years after planting, and if vaccination was applied later, pruning should be started 2-3 years after vaccination. In pruning in the fall, if the sapling has developed more than 80-90 cm in the first year, it should be cut at 80 cm. Pruning is done according to the shoots emerging in the second year. If the shoots have not grown much, pruning can be left for the next year. Pruning is done by leaving branches at equal intervals (15-20 cm) on the trunk and leaving the peak branch at one time. The branches left on the tree are pruned evenly and the pruning process is carried out by carrying out the selected main branches in the same way. Pistachio pruning should be done after a productive time in mature trees, 3-4 old branches that grow and reach maturity, grow poorly and produce little product should be reduced. This type of pruning ensures the formation of young branches in the tree. As the old branches of the pistachio are pruned, the tree is encouraged to form new shoots. For this, it is correct to prune regularly and correctly every year. These prunings provide up to 12% product increase in the tree. One of the important mistakes in pruning is cutting branches close to the ground. Pruning in this way causes the tree to grow too tall, the tree cannot shade the bottom of the tree and the soil wetness disappears and the bottom dries out. Pistachio Irrigation The annual water requirement of a grown pistachio tree is 750-800 mm. In addition to the amount of rainfall during the year, irrigation should be done 20 days apart and the soil should be moistened up to 100-150 cm from the irrigation. During irrigation, care should be taken that the water does not touch the stem. Otherwise, root collar damage is observed. Water should be given along the length of the crown projection. Pistachio Harvesting and Storage In our country, pistachio production is done manually. Before harvesting, the bottom of the trees is cleaned and the soil is compacted. In this way, the pistachios that fall during the collection are not damaged. Pistachios are collected from the trees with the help of a ladder. As an exhibition area in the garden, the pistachios are left to dry on a clean cloth. Peanuts are dried until the moisture content drops below 3%. It should be ensured that the pistachios do not come into contact with the soil during drying. Weather conditions should be suitable in the environment where the pistachios will be stored. There should be a gap of 10 to 20 cm between the stacks. Sacks should not come into contact with the walls and ceiling of the warehouse. The floor of the warehouse should be covered with wooden grids or pallets. The relative humidity of the warehouse conditions should be 50%.
There should be large product losses when the product is stored outside the storage conditions. The moisture content of peanuts must be less than 3% for storage. Peanuts to be stored for more than one year should be stored under optimal storage conditions between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius.
