Friends and Enemies
Despite being a big tough eukaryote, Pistacia vera is the most fragile of the species when it comes to diseases. Many fungal diseasesm, such as Verticillium wilt, damage and kill the tree. The pistachio can also be harmed by Armillaria mellea, a parasitic oak root fungus that causes rotting of the roots. Some other enemies of the pistachio include insects such as Anapleura lentisci, several species of leaf-footed bugs and stink bugs. These insect eat the leaves of the tree which compromises the trees ability to produce food.
Although some fungi harm the Pistacia
vera tree, other fungi, such as those found in the Glomus
genus, form mutualistic
mycorrhizal relationships
with the pistachio and enhance the growth of the tree. The fungi resides within
and around the plant's roots. This helps the roots of the pistachio tree
absorb more nutrients, such as zinc and phosphorous, from
the soil. This is done by increasing the surface area of the root which
ultimately enhances the growth of the tree due to
more efficient nutrient uptake.
Mycorrhizal root
Insects and many chordates benefit from the tree and use it as a food source. Many squirrels and birds use this nest as a place of residence and utilize the nut for food.
The pistachio nut is high in protein, low
in saturated fat and contains high levels of antioxidants so it
is not only tasty but the nut has proven to be healthy as well.
Research from
Science Daily shows that those who were on a 1.5 oz pistachio diet
had a better acute stress response then those who did not
consume pistachios at all. When placed under acute stress (a
math test), the group who was on the pistachio diet experiences a
less significant increase in blood pressure then the control
group with a regular diet. Researchers
believe that blood pressure was more controlled because the
antioxidants in pistachios may help relax the blood vessels. Another health benefit to consuming
pistachios is that they have been found to lower cholesterol.
Most plants contain phytosterols which is a chemical that
lowers level of HDL (bad) cholesterol. Lowing bad cholesterol
decrease the risk factor of many disease including coronary heart
disease and stroke.
Want to know more? See how pistachios interact with one another.