Effects of Birds, Cracking, Spoiling, and Falling on the Percent Economic Losses in four Pomegranate Varieties - Ganesh, Mridula, Bhagva, and Kandhari
Tejpal Dahiya *
Department of Zoology and Aquaculture, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125001 (Haryana), India.
Gajender Singh
Zoology, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Panchkula-134109, India.
Ravikant Verma
Department of Zoology and Aquaculture, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125001 (Haryana), India.
Sushil Kumar
Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125001 (Haryana), India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Pomegranate production can be reduced by physiological injury, vertebrate feeding, fruit fall, and postharvest spoilage. This field investigation at the Horticulture Research Farm of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, compared recorded fruit production and damage in Ganesh, Mridula, Bhagva, and Kandhari. Selected plants were assessed for total fruits, cracked fruits, fallen fruits, fruits damaged by birds and bats, and fruits harvested for sale. Bird visits were recorded weekly, and spoilage was observed during a short marketing period. Ganesh had the highest reported total fruit number (106.1 ± 15.5), whereas Kandhari had the lowest (54.5 ± 4.7). Cracked-fruit counts ranged from 9.8 ± 2.4 in Ganesh to 14.1 ± 3.3 in Kandhari. Fallen-fruit counts ranged from 23.6 ± 5.3 to 31.0 ± 5.5, and bird-damaged fruit counts ranged from 10.9 ± 1.61 to 13.9 ± 1.91. Red-vented bulbuls and rose-ringed parakeets visited the orchard, while damage attributed to bats and squirrels was also recorded. These observations indicate differences among varieties in fruit load and recorded damage. Replicated multi-season observations with tagged fruits and standardized wildlife monitoring are needed for reliable cultivar comparisons and economic-loss estimation.
Keywords: Punica granatum, cultivar comparison, fruit cracking, fruit fall, bird damage, pre-harvest loss, postharvest spoilage, economic loss