Effect of drip irrigation on growth, yield and quality of pomegranate in arid region

The experiment was conducted on six years old plants of pomegranate with four levels of irrigation, i.e. 4, 8 and 12 I of water/hour applied through drip for three hours daily at flowering and fruiting time along with a control with basin irrigation system on pan evaporation basis @ 60 I per square meter of area of basin. The plants irrigated through drip were more vigorous than basin irrigation system. Irrigation through drip @ 8 I/hour/day for three hours increased the yield from 17.7 kg/plant under control to 28.2 kg/plant with a considerable reduction in cracking. The quality of fruits in terms of weight, size and juice content was better under drip irrigated plants as compared to control. However, the T.S.S. of the juice was slightly reduced in drip irrigated plants.