Comparison of different Pistacia spp. in terms of pollination biology in the Yunt Mountains of Manisa Province in Turkey

In this research conducted between 1999 and 2001 years, to use different Pistacia spp. (P. vera, P. atlantica and P. terebinthus) as source of pollen for pistachio types (Topan, Söbü, Çatlayan Kirmizi, Alyanak) in the Manisa-Yunt Mountain area of Turkey was investigated. The average percentages of pollen viability in different Pistacia spp. of three years ranged between 57.51 and 85.00% by IKI and TTC tests. P. atlantica had the highest pollen viability percentage in both two viability tests. In germination tests of three years, medium type of P. terebinthus, P. vera and P. atlantica pollen were active in viability in 20% sucrose medium caused higher germination than other media. The usage of different Pistacia spp. pollens resulted with higher fruit set than natural pollination in three years of this investigation. In general, the best fruit set was obtained in P. vera used pollinizers for pistachio types. © 2006 Asian Network for Scientific Information