Pistachios are grown for its edible nuts and
pistachio tree is a small to medium sized tree with a branching main stem and a
spreading growth habit. It can reach up to 20 feet height in wild conditions
and up to 10 feet in cultivated conditions. Pistachio is one of the culinary nuts
grown in most of the countries and belongs to the cashew family. These nuts are
the lowest calorie of the nuts, but they are rich in phytosterols,
antioxidants, unsaturated fat, carotenoids, vitamins and minerals and fiber. It
is uncertain where pistachio nut trees originated but probably originated from
Middle East and Central Asia. Pistachios
belong to the family of “Anacardiaceae and genus of "Pistacia". Basically pistachio trees are either male or female. However,
both are required to produce a crop. Usually the nuts are produced on the
female trees where as male trees provide the pollen to fertilize the female
tree flowers. Pistachio trees take longer time to get into production stage.
Pistachio nuts have excellent
demand both locally and internationally. One can obtain decent profits if they
are grown in right climate by following good farming practices. Continue reading here.