• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.73-81
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• 2024

As a phreatophyte, pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is widely grown in water-limited conditions and recognized as an economically valuable crop in semi-arid regions. In Tajikistan, pistachio grows naturally and artificially in 79,000 ha, but the nut yield is very low due to less-developed plantation technologies. In this study, differences in pistachio plantation technologies of the major pistachio-producing countries and Tajikistan were analyzed to suggest ways to improve plantation technologies in Tajikistan. In the major pistachio-producing countries such as Iran, the United States and Turkey, seedlings of high nut-yielding varieties are grafted before planting. As a result, annually 349-4,479 kg ha^-1 of nuts are harvested in those countries. On the other hand, Tajikistan annually produces only 0.6-3.7 kg ha^-1. While seven suitable high nut-yielding varieties (Albina, Dangarinka, Saboh, Green girl, Mountain pearl, October, and Orzu) have been identified as suitable for Tajikistan's environment, the plantation area with grafted individuals using these varieties is limited to only 1.5 ha, necessitating widespread adoption. The low utilization of the high nut-yielding varieties is attributed to the lack of grafting specialists and skills, which have hindered increasing pistachio nut production in Tajikistan. Therefore, improving the basic capability of pistachio grafting should be prioritized to expand the economic profits from the pistachio forests in Tajikistan.