Detailed Explanation of the Bag-in-Trench Storage Technique for Pomegranate Seeds

1. Digging the Trench Choose a flat, shady, clean spot to dig the storage trench. The trench should be 80 cm deep and 70 cm wide, with the length determined by the quantity to be stored. Dig the storage trench 3-5 days before harvesting the fruit. During the day, cover the trench opening tightly with straw mats, and uncover it at night, so that the temperature inside the trench is basically consistent with the low nighttime temperature. Then the fruit can be harvested, bagged and placed into the trench for storage. 

2. Bagging Harvest the ripe fruit on a sunny morning, soak it in a preservative solution (100-fold d7 freshness-retaining agent) for 10 minutes, then place it into non-toxic plastic bags 0.04 mm thick, 50 cm wide and 60 cm long, with 20 kg per bag. After bagging, fold the bag opening and place it into a fruit basket or fruit box lined with cattail matting, then cover with the basket lid or box lid without sealing.

3. Temperature In the early storage period, cover the trench opening with straw mats during the day and uncover it at night, so that the temperature inside the storage trench is ideally controlled at 2°C-3°C. In the middle storage period, as the natural temperature continues to drop, when the temperature inside the storage trench falls to 0°C, tie the plastic bag openings tightly, seal the basket or box lids, and cover the storage trench tightly with 2-3 layers of straw mats in a sealed state, checking once a month. In the late storage period, when the temperature rises in early to mid-March and the storage temperature inside the trench rises above 3°C, resume the management of the early storage period, using the natural low nighttime temperature to lower the temperature inside the storage trench and extend the storage period.

This storage method is simple and easy to carry out. It can keep pomegranate fruit stored until the end of April or early May of the following year, with the fruit still smooth, brightly colored and as fresh as ever, and a good-fruit rate of over 92%.