Seedless pomegranate – a unique work of breeders

Overview

Pomegranate is one of the most ancient fruits. The first mention of it is present in the mythology of Ancient Greece and Rome. Since then, the pomegranate tree has spread almost all over the world, acquired a cultural form, and today the number of varieties of this unique plant is several hundred. On the territory of the former USSR, cultural pomegranate was first cultivated in Transcaucasia. In the countries of Central Asia, it occurs in a wild form, and its cultural forms are grown on an industrial scale.

Thanks to the efforts of breeders, there are many varieties and varieties of pomegranate. In addition to the usual ruby, there are fruits of yellow, white, brown or pinkish color, which will not surprise anyone. But the science of botany does not stand still, and recently another innovation has appeared in this culture – seedless pomegranate. For the first time, a seedless variety was grown by American scientists, from where its distribution began. Breeders in many countries began to cross the hybrid with varieties adapted to the local climate, or to acclimatize an existing one. As a result, several varieties with seedless grains appeared.

Video “Description”

From the video you will learn a lot of interesting things about this fruit.

Looks like

According to the authors of the development, the original seedless pomegranate does not differ in appearance from the ordinary one, and the same conditions are required for its cultivation. But since it was partially modified in the process of crossing with other varieties, some fruits may have a lighter or even yellowish skin color. In addition, the peel of seedless fruits is thinner and may crack during transportation or careless handling.

As for the grains, they are more juicy due to the absence of hard seeds. The color of the grains can vary from maroon to light red. There are seeds in the grains, but they are very soft, transparent and easy to chew. Judging by consumer reviews, seedless pomegranate seeds are sweeter, devoid of any bitterness and acidity, which will appeal to kids and sweet tooth. It should be noted that pomegranate varieties bred for Europe are more productive and resistant to cold and disease than their predecessors.

Types

Of the seedless fruits, the most popular and widely cultivated are two varieties:

• American Wonderful (Wanderful) – the fruits are small (250-300 g), white-yellow in color, with a blush on one side, the grains are rather small, but very sweet and soft;
• Spanish variety Mollar de Elche (Mollar de Elche) – in Spain it is cultivated on an industrial scale, the fruits are medium or large (400-800 g), the peel is light red, resistant to damage, the grains are sweet, with edible seeds.

It should be noted that all seedless pomegranates are suitable both for fresh consumption and for processing. For example, juice from them is obtained by about 20% more than from a regular fruit with seeds. 

Cultivation and care

Today, stoneless pomegranates are cultivated in Southern Europe, mainly in Spain, from where they are exported to us. Growing a pomegranate tree in the climate of the middle lane, not to mention the North, is quite problematic, but as the climate has gradually warmed in recent years, some gardeners have begun to experiment with growing pomegranates in open ground. It should be noted that it is unpretentious to the soil. The tree thrives in rocky areas with sandy, well-drained soil. The main condition for obtaining sweet fruits is good light and moderate humidity during fruiting.

The place for planting a pomegranate tree should be open to the sun and preferably calm. The size of the planting hole depends on the size of the rhizome of the seedling, but usually not less than 60×60 cm at a depth of 50 cm. Part of the earth dug from the planting hole must be mixed with fertilizers (humus 0,5 buckets, superphosphate 300 g), and then fall asleep back. Set the seedling vertically in the hole and cover it manually with earth, so that the root neck of the plant is not buried in the soil.

Caring for a pomegranate in the open field is simple, however, it has some features:

• low temperatures are harmful for a tree, so for the winter it needs to be covered, not only the roots, but also the crown;
• while the tree is small, it needs to be shaded from the scorching sun, as burns can form on the thin bark;
• despite the high resistance to drought, adult pomegranates need to be watered periodically – during the flowering period, watering should be more intense, since the buds can crumble from a lack of moisture, watering should be reduced during fruit ripening, otherwise the fruits may crack;
• in fertile soil, pomegranate can do without fertilizers, but if you want to get tasty and high-quality fruits, then periodically (in early spring, during the formation of the ovary and before wintering), the tree needs to be fed with mineral mixtures and organic matter;
• every spring, forming pruning is carried out: damaged, dry and thickening small branches are removed, optimally 5-6 main shoots should be left on a bush or stem;
• if the pomegranate grows in the garden along with other fruit trees, then it is likely that it can get sick (powdery mildew, gray rot, leaf spot) or become the object of pest invasion (spider mites, scale insects) – periodically inspect the tree so as not to miss the onset of the pathological process, in early spring, for prevention, you can spray with Bordeaux liquid.

Useful Properties

We are all used to the fact that pomegranate seeds should be of an intense burgundy color, because it is these red pigments that have a beneficial effect on the process of hematopoiesis. And since most seedless pomegranate varieties have lighter grains, some consumers are beginning to doubt the benefits of the berry, or underestimate it.

It is fair to say that any pomegranate is a source of vitamins, micro and macro elements, acids, antioxidants, tannins, anthocyanins. Seedless fruits contain vitamins C, A, E, B5 (pantothenic acid), as well as calcium, potassium, iodine, silicon, copper, manganese, and iron.

Pomegranate is considered a medicinal plant, since almost all of its parts: tree bark, fruit peel and grain juice are used in folk medicine. Pomegranate juice is an excellent tonic, it improves metabolism, improves immunity and hemoglobin levels, and has an antimicrobial effect. And if we compare the benefits of fruits, we can say that seedless ones even have an advantage, because many useful substances are also concentrated in soft bones.

Video “Benefit and harm”

From the video you will learn how harmful and how useful this fruit is.