Adaptability study of commercial pistachio cultivars in seven regions of Khorasan-Razavi province, Iran

Pistachio is one of the strategic products of Iran. To maintain the position of this strategic product in the global market and to increase its production, potential areas in other parts of the country should be identified and orchards with suitable cultivars should be developed. To this end and to determine the adaptability of five pistachio cultivars with different climatic conditions of Khorasan-Razavi province, a trial was conducted.

Cultivars including: Akbari, Fandoghi, Badami-Sefid, Ahmadaghaei and Kalleghoochi were investigated in seven selected orchards in Neyshabour, Bajestan, Torbat-e-Jam, Khoshab, Gonabad, Bardaskan and Mahvalaat cities in a RCBD during 2019-2021.

 Despite damages caused by storms, the Badami-Sefid cultivar had the highest yield in Bajestan. At Feyzabad the most product was Ahmadaghaei with 18 kg per tree, followed by Badami-Sefid and Akbari, followed by Kalleghoochi and Fandoghi with 9 kg/tree. But in other areas such as Gonabad, where strong winds blow normally, Ahmadaghaei, with strong cluster connected to the tree branch, and hence wind cannot cause much damage to the crop, seems suitable for cultivation, as well as Akbari. In case of the Akbari cultivar, its chilling requirement should be considered.

Research limitations: 

More varieties of pistachios were not found in the orchards. Originality/Value: The results showed that Badami-Sefid cultivar due to its maximum height and width of the crown, high production capacity and adaptation to different climatic conditions of Khorasan province is suitable for areas of the country that are similar to the climatic conditions of Mahvalaat.