Pomegranate Industry

The newly founded Georgia Pomegranate Association, comprised primarily of blueberry growers wishing to diversify their crop to mitigate fluctuations in price and season, are actively promoting the production of pomegranate as an alternative high-value crop to compliment current blueberry production. UGA horticulturists work closely with the GPA to develop on-farm research for important studies to further the advancement of the industry. Over the past 12 months, they have revitalized a small orchard located at Ponder Farm and used this as a starting point to determine cultivars suitable for production in south Georgia. Using the fruit from this site, they have performed numerous preliminary studies evaluating postharvest quality, phytonutrient content, potential for juice processing and identification of fruit pathogens. They are now in the process of identifying a site for another orchard to evaluate new cultivars acquired through foreign collaborations, and to evaluate proper cultivation techniques.