ABSTRACT
Hundreds of cultivars exist across many countries throughout the world. Pomegranate cultivars can be classified according to:
• Taste: sweet, sweet-sour, tart and sour. • Harvesting time: early, mid-season and late. • Consumption pattern: juice and table fruit • Seed hardness: soft-seeded and hard-seeded
The names originate frequently either from the place of cultivation or from the color of the fruit. The genetic diversity of pomegranate is demonstrated by an excess of 500 globally distributed cultivars, nearly 50 of which are known to be commercially cultivated (IPGRI, 2001). Sour varieties are not preferred by most of the consumers. Hard-seeded varieties are also less preferred. These varieties are generally used for processing if the juice color and content is good.
