: Üniversite Bulvarı No: 136, Şahinbey, Gaziantep-TURKEY
The Institute was firstly established as “Pistachio Station” with the name ofz it in 1937. Different names were given following years but, at last, “The Pistachio Research Institute (PRI)” name was given in 1986. With the aim of improving horticultural and viticultural capacity of the GAP (Southeastern Anatolian Region Project), the research studies has been conducted on cultivation techniques of pistachio (mainly focused) and some other important crops; such as almond, walnut, grapevine, olive and pomegranate.
Official Duty Area in Country: Whole of the country
Official Duty Area in Region : Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Şırnak, Siirt, Batman and Mardin.
Responsibilities Officially:
1.To collect and to evaluate data about the pistachio field on the country-wide base,
2.To carry out basic and strategic researches,
3.To collect genetic sources of pistachio and to evaluate them as germplasm,
4.To develop the infrastructure for the research and to collaborate with the other research organizations in relation to these facilities,
5.To obtain scientific literatures, to organize training activities, to prepare publications and to distribute of them,
6.To conduct applied researches for growing of pistachio, almond, vineyard and the olive in the GAP,
7.To have cooperation with the plant Protection Research Institutes, during the carrying out Plant Health Researches.
Research and Application Area:
The total area of the ground, which is used by the institute, is 144 hectares, composed of 4 different areas. The 50 hectares part of this area is irrigated.
Figure 1) A 40-year-old pistachio orchard planted under dry conditions with 10 m x 10 m intervals.
Staff:
Totally, 20 researchers, which 4 of them have PhD, 10 of them have MSc and 6 of them have BSc, 3 technicians have conducted activities in PRI with 9 administrative officers.
Equipments:
-A guesthouse (16 beds)
-A meeting lounge (80 people)
-Climatized room (2 rooms)
-Greenhouses ( 4 pieces, 1300 m2)
-Integrated pistachio processing plant
-Laboratories (Plant-Soil Analysis, Plant Physiology and Plant Protection)
Ongoing Research and Development Activities in PRI:
Up to now, 65 research projects have been resulted in PRI, which 39 of these are on the subject of pistachio and they have been transmitted to producers. The important research studies of pistachio have issued on Rootstocks and Cultivars Development, Growing Techniques (Plantation systems, Young Plant Production, Grafting), Irrigation, Fertilization, Pruning, Pollination, Pre and Post-Harvesting, Pests and Diseases, Storage and Kernel Quality.
Figure 2) A 12-year-old Pistachio Orchard planted under Irrigated Conditions with 7 m x 4 m intervals.
Ongoing Research Projects:
27 research projects have still conducted in PRI. The 20 of these studies have been carried out with the leadership of PRI and the others have been carried out in cooperation with the other Institutes or the Universities. During the year of 2008, new proposal projects were prepared, which are 3 of them to the TAGEM (General Directorate of Agricultural Researches), 2 of them to the EU 7th Framework and 4 of them to the TUBITAK (Turkish Council of Scientific Research), and have been presented.
TAGEM (General Directorate of Agricultural Researches) Projects:
-The Adaptation of Pistachio Cultivars at the Irrigated Conditions
-Determination of Suitable Rootstock and Planting Spaces For Pistachio Under Irrigated Conditions
-Cultivar Breeding by Hybridization Among Domestic and Foreign Pistachio Cultivars
-Investigation on Effects of Different Training Methods on Tree Growth, Yield and Some Quality Characteristic of Pistachio
-Comparison of Growth, Bearing, Yield and Some Quality Characteristics of Different Pistachio Cultivars Budded on Different Rootstocks Under Irrigated Conditions
-Developing of the Integrated Pistachio Processing Plants
-Developing of the Potted Pistachio Young Plant Production. Sub Project 2: Determination of the optimum nutrition levels by applying fertigation practices on potted pistachio seedlings
-Almond Cultivar Selection among the Chance Seedlings
-Walnut Selection at the Gaziantep Region
-Clonal Selection on Kilis Yağlık and Nizip Yağlık Olive Varieties
-Organic Pistachio and Grape Production
-Determination of Causal Agents of Dieback in Pistachio Trees
-Determination of Some Biological Characters and Possible Natural Enemies of Megastigmus pistaciae Walker (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) in Pistachio for Fighting against it
-Research on the Possible Phytopathological Reasons of Pistachio Kernel Blight
-Genetic Sources of Fruit and Grapes
Figure 3) Vineyard operations, Wire system application on vineyard
TIKA (Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency) Projects
1.Improving the Pistachio Cultivation in Uzbekistan
2.Improving the Pistachio Cultivation in Turkmenistan
Cooperation (DPT Supported):
1.Improving the Yield and Quality of Pistachio Production in Gaziantep and Kilis Region
2.Improving the Yield and Quality of Olive Production in Gaziantep and Kilis Region
New Proposal Projects:
1.Control, Epidemiology, Biology and Prevalence of Septoria spp. All., called Karazenk, in Pistachio (TAGEM).
2.Development of the Fertilizing Mechanization for the Pistachio Orchards (TAGEM)
3.The Levels of Adoption of the Newness and the Research Results and Evaluation of their Effects in Pistachio Plants (TAGEM)
4.Self Compatible and Late Flowering Almond Breeding by Hybridization (TÜBİTAK 1001)
Figure 4) The selected clone of Nizip Yağlık
Production Activities:
The young plants of pistachio (both budded and un-budded), cherry, almond and grapevine, which are suitable rootstocks and cultivars for GAP, are both produced and served to the farmers as named-true, by study results, adapted to the ecology of region. Additionally, pollinators of pistachio, grapevine and cherry cultivars, that are wished to spread out the region, are also produced and are served to the farmers.
Figure 5) Recently developed machinery, which separates the natural splitted kernels of the pistachio
Laboratory Studies:
Both research studies and plant-soil analysis, come from producers, are done in the laboratories of PRI. Approximately 2000 macro-micro element analysis have been done and “a detailed advisory fertilization report” has been given according to the analysis results.
Figure 6) Almond research orchard with dimensions of 5 m x 3 m planted on irrigated conditions
Registration Studies:
At the final of the studies, two new varieties of pistachio have been presented to government for registration and necessary production allowance is given to both two new varieties, called “Tekin” (136 g for kernel weight, whitish hard-shell, 95% for splitting ratio, 46% for kernel ratio) “Barak Yıldızı” (can be harvested 25 days earlier than standard varieties, suitable for fresh consumption, having green kernel).
Figure 7) The kernel of the Siirt cultivar and the Tekin, new cultivar
Base Material Production Duty:
Duties of protection of the base plant material and distribution of them to the nurseries are given to PRI in some horticultural crops, and those are Rootstocks and Cultivars of Pistachio (Uzun, Kırmızı, Halebi, Siirt, Ohadi, Tekin, Barak Yıldızı), Pollinator cultivars for Female-pistachio Trees (Atlı, Uygur, Kaşka, Öztürk), Grape (in 6 varieties), Almond (in 9 cultivars) and Olive (Nizip Yağlık).
Training Activities:
A “Pistachio Growing Techniques” issued on-duty trainings, which are hold twice a year in PRI, are organized for technical advisory staff, who work in highly pistachio growing area. In addition to this activity, almost every year, trainings for farmers are also organized in different twenty central strict and villages.
The book which titled as “Pistachio Growing Techniques” was prepared in 2001, and the handbooks which titled as “Pistachio Production Handbook” and “Modern Viticulture Handbook” were prepared in 2006 for technical advisory staff, growers, students and people concerned pistachio. Four handbooks, titled as “Practical Applications for Pistachio Orchards” and “Olive Production Handbook”, were prepared in Turkish and in Arabic, in 2008. They have been still distributed to the farmers and technical persons.
Contribution to the Agricultural Production:
Recently, the level of technology usage in Pistachio growing has increased. Thanks to training activities, given to the important groups –advisory staff and farmers-, and study results, just finished recent years, significant progress has been gained on some cultural practices; such as preference of high-yielded cultivars in new plantation, pruning, fertilization, irrigation, soil cultivation, high-level usage of pollinators, control of pests and diseases, modern post harvest practices and storage of yield. After practicing these techniques, it has been gradually seen an increase of yield per unit and quality. As a locomotive, PRI has been played an important role for those matters, mentioned above, in Turkey’s Agricultural Capacity. The new and innovative studies have still been conducted on pest and disease management, new cultivars, breeding of new male and female types, fertilization etc. Recent results of these studies have been consistently transmitted to the growers.
Besides pistachio, it has been also advised to the growers for directing them almond cultivation which has been rapidly improved in recent years. Selection-breeding studies on Nizip Yağlık and Kilis Yağlık, which is widely grown in GAP, has been continually carried out for obtaining more productive and having high-quality olive types.
