Pistachio (Pista)All seasonsGrafted plant (male pollinator — bears no nuts)Updated 20 October 2026

Peters

The classic male pollinator for Kerman, with no nuts of its own. University of California work shows its weak point: in warm, low-chill winters it can flower late and miss Kerman's bloom, so UC now advises a second, earlier male alongside it.

SeasonAll seasons

Starts bearingDoes not bear nuts. UC says it can take five years to begin flowering

Expected yieldNot applicable — a male pollinator variety, not a nut-bearing one

Suitable soilDeep, well-drained cold-desert soil; unusually tolerant of saline/alkaline conditions

Quick facts

Crop: Pistachio (Pista)
Type: Grafted plant (male pollinator — bears no nuts)
Season: All seasons
Starts bearing: Does not bear nuts. UC says it can take five years to begin flowering
Expected yield: Not applicable — a male pollinator variety, not a nut-bearing one
Suitable soil: Deep, well-drained soil; internationally tolerant of alkaline conditions, matching the female trees it is planted alongside
Disease resistance: Not specifically documented for Indian conditions
Release: A long-established international pollinizer cultivar for Kerman; not an ICAR or Indian release

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

About this variety

Peters is the male pistachio most California Kerman orchards have used as their pollen source. It bears no nuts. Each pistachio tree is either male or female, and the wind carries pollen from male to female. The University of California (UC) reports a problem with Peters in warm winters. In the low-chill years 2014 and 2015 its flowering overlapped Kerman's very poorly, often 10 days behind, and many of its flower clusters, especially on the south side of the trees, made no usable pollen. UC also says Peters may take five years to begin flowering. UC released a replacement male, Famoso, in 2018, and announced a late-blooming one, UC Westside, in 2023. Older Peters-only orchards are advised to add them. We found no Indian trial of Peters and no record of an Indian institute recommending it, so every figure given above is from California.

Should you pick this variety?

Choose Peters only as the pollen source for a Kerman block, never on its own, because it bears no nuts. It is the male most Kerman orchards have used, so a nursery that sells Kerman will usually offer it. Its weak point is timing. In the low-chill years 2014 and 2015, UC saw Peters flower up to 10 days behind Kerman. If you can, ask for a second male that flowers earlier, such as Famoso or Randy, and plant the two together. Ask the nursery in writing which male it is selling and when it flowers where it was grown.

Sowing & cultivation

SpacingUC plants one male on every fifth tree in every fifth row (1:24) and says males should stand within 66 ft (20 m) of the females. No Indian layout is published.
FertilizerFollows the same schedule as the female trees it pollinates (see the crop guide). No separate Indian dose exists for a pollinator-only variety.

Full Pistachio (Pista) growing guideSowing time, nutrients, irrigation, pests, costs and prices for Pistachio (Pista) as a whole crop. This is the advice that holds for every variety.

Pest & disease considerations

Major diseases

Major pests

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

The standard male for Kerman, so a Kerman nursery will usually have it.
Shares the drought and salt tolerance of the female trees it stands beside, once established.
Well documented: UC has written down both its strength and its weakness, which most males do not have.

Things to consider

Bears no nuts. A buyer must be clear that they are paying for a pollinator.
In warm, low-chill winters it can flower up to 10 days behind Kerman, and many of its flower clusters made no usable pollen in UC's 2014 and 2015 observations.
It may take five years to begin flowering, so a young Kerman block can have no pollen at all.
No Indian bloom-timing record exists to show how Peters and Kerman line up on your site.

Suitable regions

Not an established crop in India. It would be planted only as the pollen source in a Kerman trial block. We found no Indian trial of Peters itself, so ask your nursery when it flowers in your area.

Himachal Pradesh
Ladakh

From one male to a team: what California learned about Peters

For years the plan was simple: Kerman females, Peters males. UC's Craig Kallsen noted in 2015 that as warm, low-chill winters became more common in the San Joaquin Valley, male trees tended to bloom later than the females, so the trend was to plant more than one male variety. His example was Randy, which blooms earlier and keeps better step with Kerman in those years.

The 2014 and 2015 seasons showed how bad it can get. Peters often flowered 10 days behind Kerman, and many of its clusters, especially on the south side of the trees, made no viable pollen. UC's breeding programme released Famoso in 2018, described by its breeders as a male to replace Peters. It flowers in step with Kerman in very low-chill years and starts flowering three to four years after budding.

Famoso has its own limit: in the occasional high-chill year it may bloom too early to cover the last Kerman flowers. UC Westside, announced in 2023, blooms later. It begins to flower in Year 3 and blooms densely in Years 4 and 5, and at full bloom it is five to seven days after Randy. For new Kerman orchards UC suggests a 50-50 mix of Famoso and UC Westside. For old Peters-only orchards it suggests adding both.

What does that mean for you? Nothing here says Peters is a bad male. It says one male variety is a risk on a site you have not yet measured. If you plant a Kerman trial, plant two male varieties with different flowering times, and keep a note each spring of when each one sheds pollen and when the Kerman flowers open. We do not know whether Famoso or UC Westside plants can be had in India, so ask your nursery.

Where the planting material comes from

This variety is a grafted plant: the variety on top, joined onto a rootstock below. Seed out of its fruit will not come up as this variety, so it cannot be kept as seed. Buy grafted plants from a registered nursery or a government farm, so the plant is true to the variety and free of disease.

How it compares with other varieties

Every Pistachio (Pista) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.

Variety	Best for	Starts bearing	Yield	States
Kerman	Trial plantings of the nut-bearing female tree	Slow to bear (long juvenility, UC); no Indian first-bearing age published	No Indian per-tree yield published; heavy and light crop years alternate	Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh
Petersthis page	Pollen source for Kerman, with a second male as backup	Does not bear nuts. UC says it can take five years to begin flowering	Not applicable — a male pollinator variety, not a nut-bearing one	Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh

Tools for this crop

The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Pistachio (Pista) is selling for.

Subsidy and government support

Schemes that help with the cost of Pistachio (Pista) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.

Frequently asked questions

Will a Peters pistachio tree ever give me nuts to harvest?

No. Peters is a male-only pollinator and bears no nuts, however well it is cared for. Its job is to flower beside female trees such as Kerman and release wind-carried pollen so they can set fruit. Plant it for that role, not for a harvest of its own.

What goes wrong when Peters flowers late?

The Kerman flowers open and close before there is pollen to reach them, and with no pollen the nuts do not set. UC saw this risk in the low-chill years 2014 and 2015, when Peters often bloomed 10 days behind Kerman, and many Peters clusters made no viable pollen. Pollen also does not wait: UC says only about 10% of grains are still alive 24 hours after release. So a late male is a lost crop, not a small delay.

Should I plant a second male variety besides Peters?

UC says yes, on sites with warm winters. Its trend since 2015 is to plant more than one male. It named Randy as an earlier male that keeps better step with Kerman in low-chill years, released Famoso in 2018, and announced UC Westside in 2023. For new California orchards it suggests a 50-50 mix of Famoso and UC Westside, and it suggests adding both to old Peters-only blocks. We do not know whether these are sold in India, so ask your nursery which male varieties it can supply and when each flowers.

How long before a Peters tree starts to flower?

UC says Peters may take five years to begin producing flowers. UC's newer males are quicker: Famoso flowers three to four years after budding, and UC Westside often produces flower clusters in Year 3 with dense bloom in Years 4 and 5. If your male starts late, the young Kerman trees beside it may bloom with no pollen to meet them, so plan the males' age, not just their number.

How do I check that my Peters and Kerman flower together?

There is no Indian bloom-timing record, so you have to make your own. Each spring, write down the date male clusters first shed pollen, the date shedding peaks, and the date it ends, and the same three dates for the female flowers. Do it for at least three springs, because chill differs year to year. If the male finishes before the females peak, or starts after they close, add an earlier or a later male variety rather than hoping.

Sourced from: Kern Pistachio Notes, June 2023 — UC Westside, a new cultivar release, and the Peters 2014–15 observations, Kallsen, Pistachio orchard design: pollinizers in a 1:24 ratio — UC Cooperative Extension presentation, Pistachio bloom and pollination processes — UC Nut, Olive and Prune Programmatic News, Pistachio Climate & Cultivars — UC Davis Fruit & Nut Research and Information Center. editorial policy.