Evaluation of Irrigation Water Application and Productivity of Pistachio in the main Producer Regions of Iran (Kerman, Khorasan Razavi, Yazd and Semnan provinces)

Pistachio production in Iran has a long history. Iran's pistachio quality is unique among the world's producing countries. Increasing water productivity for this strategic product is essential. The water consumed for pistachio in Iran has not been determined. In some parts of the country, researches have been carried out and quantities for pistachio irrigation water application are reported. In order to measure irrigation water application of pistachio under farmers conditions and compare it with water requirement and the national document, this research was conducted from October 2016 for one growing season in some gardens of Khorasan Razavi, Semnan, Kerman and Yazd provinces. In these provinces, 88 gardens were selected and in each of them, irrigation water application (without intervention in their irrigation program), yield, water productivity, and some other parameters were determined. The results showed that water consumption and water productivity in the studied provinces were significantly different. The yields of the gardens of the four provinces were close to each other. The average yield of pistachio, irrigation water application and water productivity were 1764 kg/ha, 8057 m3/ha and 0.26 kg/m3, respectively. The results showed that the amount of water application in all pistachio gardens were less than the nete irrigation water requirement.