Article from
VSCNews, Vegetable and Specialty Crop News
by Brenda Kendrick
Can Pomegranates Be Produced in Florida’s Climate?
Ali Sarkhosh, assistant professor and Extension specialist at the
Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida, is
conducting research on how well pomegranates will grow in Florida’s
climate.
The potential for growing pomegranates profitably in
Florida is currently unknown at this time. Research continues on the
possibility of pomegranates becoming a new crop produced in Florida.
The research is focusing on how well pomegranates will respond to the
climate and how the plants will grow in Florida’s soils.
Pomegranates
originated in the Mediterranean, where summers are very dry. Florida’s
wet season, accompanied by hot weather, are factors that could possibly
affect the fruit quality. “However, we are working to see how we can
develop a training system that is good for Florida to have the
circulation through the canopy to reduce diseases,” said Sarkhosh. “One
of the biggest problems is the diseases that develop during the hot/wet
season, which reduces the quality of the fruit.”
Sarkhosh
believes growers need more information to successfully grow
pomegranates in Florida. “We need to improve the knowledge of the
grower in regards to the cultural practices,” he said. “The management
is totally different from other tree fruit that has been growing in
Florida, especially because the pomegranate naturally grows as a bush.
In order to grow a pomegranate bush into a tree, this requires a lot of
pruning and the right training system. Our research will be focusing on
how we can produce high-quality fruit during the wet season. To
overcome the issue, training of the grower would be the easiest way to
transfer the cultural practices.”
The amount of pomegranates
planted in Florida is approximately 100 acres. The potential for
growing more pomegranates in Florida exists if the proper production
system is put in place. With the right system, Florida growers can
produce fruit for a specific production window that is not available
anywhere in the United States, according to Sarkhosh.
At the
University of Florida, with the help of the Florida Pomegranate
Association, pomegranate research is being developed in different
areas. Plant pathologists and physiologists are working with varying
production systems to make pomegranates a viable and economical tree
fruit in Florida.
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