Foliar Zinc Fertilization Improves Marketable Fruit Yield and Quality Attributes of Pomegranate

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is commonly observed in pomegranate (Punica granatum) orchards. In this study the response of four commercial pomegranate cultivars to foliar Zn fertilization at a rate of 0.4% was evaluated in a two-years field experiment. Although, Zn fertilization did not significantly increase total fruit yield the unmarketable yield was significantly reduced. Fruit juice dry weight, density and concentration of solid materials and minerals were significantly increased by foliar application of Zn, which have important implications on fruit quality for pomegranate processing industries. Zn application significantly increased Zn concentration in leaf in all cultivars and fruit juice in three cultivars. However, seed Zn concentration was not affected in all cultivars. Based on the results, different cultivars respond differently to Zn fertilization under irrigation with saline water.