Journal of Pistachio Science and Technology

Journal of Pistachio Science and Technology

Evaluation of the effect of foliar application of antitranspirant Nu-Film-17® and nutritional treatments on fruit quality indices and yield of two commercial pistachio cultivars

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Pistachio Research Center, Horticultural Sciences Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Rafsanjan, Iran
2 Ardakan Pistachio Research Station, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Yazd Province , AREEO, Yazd, Iran
3 Pistachio Research Center, Horticultural Sciences Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is considered one of Iran's strategic and important export products. Improving quality indices, particularly the split nut percentage, through pre-harvest nutritional management plays a decisive role in the economic value and competitiveness of this product. This research aimed to evaluate the effect of foliar application of the antitranspirant compound Nu-Film-17® and common nutritional compounds on the quantitative and qualitative yield of two commercial pistachio cultivars, 'Owhadi' and 'Ahmad Aghaei'. The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with seven treatments and three replications. Treatments included the antitranspirant Nu-Film-17® at two concentrations (0.5 and 1 per thousand liters of water) and two application times (single and double foliar application), nutritional treatments (amino acid + solupotass, potassium nitrate), and a control. Quantitative and qualitative traits including split nut percentage, non-split nut percentage, ounce count (nuts per ounce), and split width were measured. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software and cluster analysis. Results showed that the treatment of Nu-Film-17® at 0.5 per thousand applied twice produced the highest split nut percentage (72.9%) compared to the control (60%) and was statistically in the superior group. It was also found that the 'Ahmad Aghaei' cultivar had a significantly higher split nut percentage than 'Owhadi'. Based on cluster analysis performed on 14 yield indices, the most effective treatments were, in order, Nu-Film-17® (0.5 per thousand, twice), followed by the combined amino acid + solupotass treatment, and finally potassium nitrate. Two-stage application of Nu-Film-17® at a low concentration (0.5 per thousand) at the kernel filling stage and 15 days later is recommended as an effective management strategy for significantly increasing split nut percentage and improving the commercial quality of pistachios.
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Volume 9, Issue 17
December 2024
Pages 137-156

  • Receive Date 03 February 2026
  • Revise Date 08 February 2026
  • Accept Date 24 February 2026