1. Introduction
The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a shrub or small tree widely spread in Iran and South Asia and commonly cultivated in many parts of the world (e.g., the Mediterranean region, South Africa, North and South America, Australia, Japan and China) (Magangana et al., 2020; Viuda-Martos et al., 2010). "Punica" comes from the latin words "Punicum malum", which mean "the Carthaginian apple". The latin word "granatum" means "seeded" (Grieve, 1931). P. granatum belongs to the Myrtales order and is considered a member of the family Lythraceae or Punicaceae (Kandylis and Kokkinomagoulos, 2020). The plant can reach minimum and maximum heights of 1 and 10 meters, respectively, and can live up to 300 years (Levin, 2006). The pomegranate leaves are elongated and bright-green. The orange-red flowers are flashy and have a bell-shaped calyx. The pomegranate fruit is round, ranges from 8 to 18 cm in diameter, has a leathery rind and a calyx at the top. Fruit skin colour changes from green to yellow to red. The edible seeds and juice are enclosed in arils, which are located inside the fruit (Grieve, 1931; Jurenka, 2008; Levin, 2006; Zarfeshany et al., 2014) (Fig. 1).