Persian Pistachio Vs. American Pistachio

Iran held the top ranking for pistachio production before 1391, but starting this year, thanks to an increase in cultivated area and an increase in yield per unit area, the United States has succeeded in producing more and has taken the top spot. And Iran has fallen to second place. It seems that due to the problems ahead, Iran will not return to first place. In the coming years, when the pistachio industry is declining, we will face major and obvious problems such as water shortage.

The majority of US pistachios are grown in California, the rest in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah. Pistachios are generally produced and exported by the United States in large quantities

Through the use of modern science, automation, and excellent marketing, a bright future awaits the pistachio industry in the United States.

One of the most important advantages of American pistachio agriculture is the existence of abundant and sweet water resources and the use of modern science in production.

For example, genetically modified seedlings resistant to dehydration and salinity in cold and hot climates that are transplanted after one year and after four years begin to bear fruit and their yield is very high. The average yield of American pistachio orchards is 3.5 tons per hectare of dry harvest (in comparison, Iranian pistachio seedlings are grafted after four years, yield after 10 to 12 years, and average yield is 800 kg per hectare. They are not very resistant to heat and they are not resistant to dehydration. They have very high water consumption. Meanwhile, American gardens, despite their abundant water resources, are equipped with drip irrigation, with which improved seedlings are also compatible.

To have and harvest the pistachios, we need 20 to 30 people. A similar garden in the United States requires two people. The most significant issue is the lack of up-to-date changes and agricultural machinery in Iran and the alternative irrigation method, which is performed by flooding in Iran while irrigation is done in the United States by drops. Consequently, it damages plants and weeds, as well as wastes water. Weeds alone can cost thousands of dollars. (In Iranian pistachio orchards, water is used in a similar manner to the water used in the United States, with the exception that in Iran water in the form of flooding is applied to the tree; however, in the United States, all water is applied to the tree roots in the form of drops.)