Improving Pistachio Yield in Saline Soil with the Application of Organic Acids

In order to investigate the effect of organic acids application in saline soil on pistachio yield, this research was carried out in Ardakan city in Chah-Afzal area in a randomized complete block design with 4 treatments and 4 replications. Treatments included: treatment 1 (control), treatment 2 (70% citric acid + 20% calcium + 10%fulvic acid), treatment 3 (70% citric acid + 10% calcium + 10% fulvic acid + 10% polysaccharide), treatment 4 (100% citric acid). The amount of each treatment was 10 kg per hectare, which was used in irrigation water from March to September in four steps (2.5 kg per hectare, each step). At the harvest time, the number of cluster, fresh weight of pistachio, dry weight of pistachio, pistachio nut weight, number of nut per cluster, number of open shell pistachio, number of closed shell and blank nut and leaf area were evaluated in the four branches of each tree. Results showed that among treatments, 100% citric acid improved the fresh weight of pistachio with skin (283.79 %), pistachio dry weight (265.74%), pistachio nut weight (296.43 %), and number of nuts per cluster (220.98 %) compared to the control treatment. And the highest percentage of open shell pistachio (42.16 %) was observed in treatment 2 compared to the control treatment. Regarding the effect of these fertilizers on the pistachio yield in saline soils, increasing use of fertilizers containing organic acids is suggested in areas with saline soil and water.