ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of pistachio. Pistachio is cultivated for the nut, rich in oil, eaten roasted, salted, or used to flavor confections and ice cream. Reported to be anodyne and decoagulant, pistachio is a folk remedy for abdominal ailments, abscess, amenorrhea, bruises, chest ailments, circulation problems, dysentery, dysmenorrhea, gynecopathy, pruritus, sclerosis of the liver, sores, and trauma. Care should be taken to select areas for the pistachio orchard which are protected from wind, as in a valley, with less exposure to cold, and with soil relatively free of sand but possessing the ability to retain moisture. Pistachio responds favorably to applications of nitrogen. Pistachio trees are delicate, and production of nuts is influenced by excess of rain, drought, excessive heat or cold, and high winds.
