Submitted to: Journal of the American Pomological Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/2/2016
Publication Date: 10/1/2016
Citation: Preece, J.E. 2016. Pomegranate production and marketing. Journal of American Pomological Society. 70(4):214-215.

Interpretive Summary: This book is relatively short, with 134 pages, 15 chapters, 52 figures, and 20 tables. It ranges from cultivar descriptions, production, biotic and abiotic challenges to production, to postharvest, aril and juice production, health benefits, and international trade. It contains great information and can be a rich reference for information on pomegranates. However, the book appears not to have been carefully edited for scientific content and English, making parts confusing and somewhat difficult to read. Therefore, in several places, nouns and verbs do not agree, there are misspellings, such as: “seeds are oil reach” rather than the correct “seeds are oil rich.” The pointed branches on pomegranates are modified stems, and therefore are thorns, whereas in the book, they are called “spines,” which are modified leaves, such as seen on cacti. Some parts of the book are uneven, such as taste only being mentioned for some of the cultivar descriptions. The authors are from Cyprus, and cultivars, pests, and many descriptions are focused on this general area of Europe. For example, the leaf-footed bug is an important pomegranate pest in California, but is not mentioned in the book. Even with these shortcomings, this is a valuable book on pomegranates. The authors have much practical experience with growing, harvesting, postharvest, and marketing this crop. Chapters in which the authors drew on their own practical experiences have few references; these include Important Cultivars, Ecological Needs (a two-paragraph chapter), Production, Pomegranate Pests, Pomegranate Diseases, Weed Management, Physiological Disorders, Fruit Thinning, and Harvest and Fresh Fruit Processing. The other six chapters are written more as literature reviews, and include the Introduction, Postharvest Biology and Storage, Aril Production, Juice Production, Pomegranate and Health (Review), and Pomegranate Trade. Both the chapters written based on the authors’ experiences and the literature review chapters are valuable as reference materials. There are many useful tables in this book that are original and have practical importance. For example, there is a table on the daily irrigation water requirements of pomegranates for the eight-month growing season for plants of various age categories. There is a table on the nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium requirements of pomegranates of various ages. The authors even provide the optimum leaf mineral concentrations for pomegranate. For chemical control of pests, diseases, and weeds on pomegranates, tables are provided with recommended concentration, harvest interval, and the EU maximum residue level (MRL) of each chemical. The Introduction does a good job setting up the book and explaining that the history of pomegranate cultivation dates back to 3000 BCE, thus documenting 5000 years of production. Facts – such as pomegranates being berries; explaining that the three types of flowers, hermaphrodite, male, and intermediate forms, mainly occur on spurs; normal fruit size range (200-1000 g) and extremes, up to 1800 g/fruit; and the story about there being 613 pomegranate seeds in one pomegranate fruit (the range is 200-800), making one for every commandment in the Jewish Bible – are all very interesting and enrich the book. Especially in chapters drawn from the authors’ experiences, the information presented is very practical and should be valuable to both new and experienced pomegranate growers. For example, good detail is presented on when and how to thin pomegranate fruit, including a before-and-after thinning photograph. The explanation of how and when to harvest pomegranate fruit is equally practical and useful. For example, the authors recommend that any dew be completely dry before harvest to avoid blemishes, that shears be used for harvest and they show a photograph of the stem end of properly harvested fruit. They correct

Technical Abstract: This book is relatively short, with 134 pages, 15 chapters, 52 figures, and 20 tables. It ranges from cultivar descriptions, production, biotic and abiotic challenges to production, to postharvest, aril and juice production, health benefits, and international trade. It contains great information and can be a rich reference for information on pomegranates. However, the book appears not to have been carefully edited for scientific content and English, making parts confusing and somewhat difficult to read. Therefore, in several places, nouns and verbs do not agree, there are misspellings, such as: “seeds are oil reach” rather than the correct “seeds are oil rich.” The pointed branches on pomegranates are modified stems, and therefore are thorns, whereas in the book, they are called “spines,” which are modified leaves, such as seen on cacti. Some parts of the book are uneven, such as taste only being mentioned for some of the cultivar descriptions. The authors are from Cyprus, and cultivars, pests, and many descriptions are focused on this general area of Europe. For example, the leaf-footed bug is an important pomegranate pest in California, but is not mentioned in the book. Even with these shortcomings, this is a valuable book on pomegranates. The authors have much practical experience with growing, harvesting, postharvest, and marketing this crop. Chapters in which the authors drew on their own practical experiences have few references; these include Important Cultivars, Ecological Needs (a two-paragraph chapter), Production, Pomegranate Pests, Pomegranate Diseases, Weed Management, Physiological Disorders, Fruit Thinning, and Harvest and Fresh Fruit Processing. The other six chapters are written more as literature reviews, and include the Introduction, Postharvest Biology and Storage, Aril Production, Juice Production, Pomegranate and Health (Review), and Pomegranate Trade. Both the chapters written based on the authors’ experiences and the literature review chapters are valuable as reference materials. There are many useful tables in this book that are original and have practical importance. For example, there is a table on the daily irrigation water requirements of pomegranates for the eight-month growing season for plants of various age categories. There is a table on the nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium requirements of pomegranates of various ages. The authors even provide the optimum leaf mineral concentrations for pomegranate. For chemical control of pests, diseases, and weeds on pomegranates, tables are provided with recommended concentration, harvest interval, and the EU maximum residue level (MRL) of each chemical. The Introduction does a good job setting up the book and explaining that the history of pomegranate cultivation dates back to 3000 BCE, thus documenting 5000 years of production. Facts – such as pomegranates being berries; explaining that the three types of flowers, hermaphrodite, male, and intermediate forms, mainly occur on spurs; normal fruit size range (200-1000 g) and extremes, up to 1800 g/fruit; and the story about there being 613 pomegranate seeds in one pomegranate fruit (the range is 200-800), making one for every commandment in the Jewish Bible – are all very interesting and enrich the book. Especially in chapters drawn from the authors’ experiences, the information presented is very practical and should be valuable to both new and experienced pomegranate growers. For example, good detail is presented on when and how to thin pomegranate fruit, including a before-and-after thinning photograph. The explanation of how and when to harvest pomegranate fruit is equally practical and useful. For example, the authors recommend that any dew be completely dry before harvest to avoid blemishes, that shears be used for harvest and they show a photograph of the stem end of properly harvested fruit. They correct