Effect of Pit and Soil Types on Growth and Development, Nutrient Content and Fruit Quality of Pomegranate in the Central Deccan Plateau Region, India

To enhance pomegranate production on marginal gravelly lands, standardized planting techniques were evaluated in an 8-year-old orchard. Trenching, wider pit excavation, pit digging, and auger digs with dimensions of 1 and 2 m were employed. Utilizing native soil from barren land, with or without spent wash, and mixing it with black soil up to 1 m deep, growth parameters, leaf nutrients, fruit production, and fruit quality were assessed. The trench and wider pit methods outperformed others, yielding greater above-ground biomass (>70.3 kg tree−1), root biomass (>24.5 kg, tree−1), and cross-sectional area (>3.30 m2 tree−1). These methods also produced longer roots (>4.0 m tree−1) and higher leaf phosphorus (>0.28%) and potassium (>1.81%) levels, fruit juice content (>48.50%), and total soluble solids (>16.05°) compared to other planting methods. This resulted in higher and more sustainable fruit yield production under the trench and wider pit planting methods (>7.21 t ha−1). Similarly, the native and black soil mixture produced healthy fruit trees, improved fruit quality, and sustainably higher fruit yield over the native soil alone. In summary, the trench and wider pit methods (2–3 m3), combined with a soil mixture, are recommended for sustainable, high-quality fruit production in shallow gravelly terrains, thereby improving food security and the livelihoods of farmers in arid regions.