Dragon fruit, also called pitaya and night-blooming cereus (Hylocereus undatus), produces edible, spiny, red or white fruits on long vines. The evergreen is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11; it doesn’t tolerate freezes or extended periods of cold temperatures. Dragon fruit bears fruits for several months annually , and it can still produce fruits for many years when given adequate care and cultural conditions.

Annual Bearing Season

Dragon fruit bears fruits for five months per annum, usually from early summer through mid-fall. It begins flowering in early summer, typically in June, with fruit formation occurring shortly afterward. Dragon fruit flowers are open within the evening and last just one evening. The flowers first form as small buttons, or buds, with two or three buds flowering within 13 days of their formation. It takes the fruits about 50 days to succeed in maturity after flowering and pollination occur, and therefore the dragon fruit continues to flower and set new fruits throughout its fruit-bearing season.

Plant Lifespan

Dragon fruit may be a relatively long-lived perennial. It can produce its first fruits within one year of its establishment, and it can still fruit annually for 20 to 30 years before it begins to say no. Dragon fruit can get older to 40 feet tall, with the massive and tall specimens producing more fruits than the tiny, young plants or those reaching the top of their lifespan.

Climate and Fruiting

Warm weather and moist soil can increase the fruit-bearing season of a dragon fruit plant. In a neighborhood where temperatures remain above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, dragon fruit mayflower and set fruits beyond the traditional bearing season. during a cooler climate, the bearing season could also be shorter than the standard five months. Cool nighttime temperatures may prolong flower life, giving the blooms longer to become pollinated before they wilt and die, but the fruit set isn’t affected when the times are warm.

Increased Fruiting

You can increase dragon fruit’s fruiting during the bearing season by properly watering the plant. Although a cactus grows and produces best when its soil remains moderately moist. Provide about 1 inch of water weekly, or enough therefore the soil doesn’t dry out completely. Avoid keeping the soil wet or soggy, which may cause the cactus to rot. Provide the dragon fruit with full, all-day sunshine to encourage a full fruit-bearing season. Dragon fruit normally is pollinated by moths that are active in the dark, but you’ll pollinate the flowers by employing a small paintbrush to transfer pollen from the stamens to the stigmas inside the flowers.

Dragon fruit, also called pitaya and night-blooming cereus (Hylocereus undatus), produces edible, spiny, red or white fruits on long vines. The evergreen is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11; it doesn’t tolerate freezes or extended periods of cold temperatures. Dragon fruit bears fruits for several months annually , and it can still produce fruits for many years when given adequate care and cultural conditions.

Annual Bearing Season

Dragon fruit bears fruits for five months per annum, usually from early summer through mid-fall. It begins flowering in early summer, typically in June, with fruit formation occurring shortly afterward. Dragon fruit flowers are open within the evening and last just one evening. The flowers first form as small buttons, or buds, with two or three buds flowering within 13 days of their formation. It takes the fruits about 50 days to succeed in maturity after flowering and pollination occur, and therefore the dragon fruit continues to flower and set new fruits throughout its fruit-bearing season.

Plant Lifespan

Dragon fruit may be a relatively long-lived perennial. It can produce its first fruits within one year of its establishment, and it can still fruit annually for 20 to 30 years before it begins to say no. Dragon fruit can get older to 40 feet tall, with the massive and tall specimens producing more fruits than the tiny, young plants or those reaching the top of their lifespan.

Climate and Fruiting

Warm weather and moist soil can increase the fruit-bearing season of a dragon fruit plant. In a neighborhood where temperatures remain above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, dragon fruit mayflower and set fruits beyond the traditional bearing season. during a cooler climate, the bearing season could also be shorter than the standard five months. Cool nighttime temperatures may prolong flower life, giving the blooms longer to become pollinated before they wilt and die, but fruit set isn’t affected when the times are warm.

Increased Fruiting

You can increase dragon fruit’s fruiting during the bearing season by properly watering the plant. Although a cactus, it grows and produces best when its soil remains moderately moist. Provide about 1 inch of water weekly, or enough therefore the soil doesn’t dry out completely. Avoid keeping the soil wet or soggy, which may cause the cactus to rot. Provide the dragon fruit with full, all-day sunshine to encourage a full fruit-bearing season. Dragon fruit normally is pollinated by moths that are active in the dark , but you’ll pollinate the flowers by employing a small paintbrush to transfer pollen from the stamens to the stigmas inside the flowers.

1. INTRODUCTION – DRAGON FRUIT

Dragon fruit, a recently introduced super fruit in India, is taken into account to be a promising, remunerative fruit crop. The fruit has a very attractive color and mellow mouth-melting pulp with black color seed embeded within the pulp alongside tremendous nutritive property which magnetizes the growers from different a part of India to cultivate this fruit crop which is originated in Mexico and Central and South America. it’s an extended day plant with a beautiful night-blooming flower that’s nicknamed “Noble Woman” or “Queen of the Night”. Fruit is known as pitaya due to the bracts or scales on the fruit skin and hence the name of pitaya meaning ‘‘the scaly fruit’’.Pitaya fruit is among the foremost nutritious and wonderful exotic fruits. it’s a favorite to several, particularly people of Asian origin. There are 3 types of dragon fruit that supported their color.

• Red color fruit with white color flesh.
• Red color fruit with red color flesh.
• Yellow color fruit with white color flesh.

The dragon fruit is often made into juices, wines, flavorings and in fact, medicine. Like many other fruits, the dragon fruit has medicinal benefits that tons of individuals have grown to trust and depend upon. The biggest advantage of this crop is that when planted, it’ll grow for about 20 years, and 1 hectare could accommodate about 800 dragon fruit plants. it’s being grown commercially in Israel, Vietnam, Taiwan, Nicaragua, Australia, and therefore us. It produces fruit within the second year after planting and attain full production within five years. Hylocereus comprises 16 species, which are endemic to Latin America and that they aren’t alright known among the growers and researchers and have only recently been the topic of studies.

Dragon Fruit production is gaining more and more recognition as a crucial crop. it’s a nutritious fruit with a spread of uses. The fruit pulp are often eaten fresh and may be made into various valuable processed products. The fruit possesses medicinal properties: it’s known to stop carcinoma and diabetes, neutralizes toxic substances like heavy metals, reduce cholesterol and high vital sign . it’s also reported to regulate high sugar levels, prevent cancer and bleeding, and promote dental health. Dragon fruit helps improve digestion and reduce fat. It helps maintain the health of eyes. Cultivation of dragon fruit already started in several a part of West Bengal with many success stories of farmer from different regions. However, it had been first successfully grown in Gujarat state. Many nursery men started propagation for raising planting material of dragon fruit.

2. BOTANY

Pitaya are fast-growing, perennial, vine-like cacti. they need triangular (3- sided), green, fleshy, jointed, many-branched stems. Each stem segment has 3 flat, wavy wings, with corneous margins and should have 1-3 small spines, or are spineless. The stem section of pitaya forms aerial roots which adhere to the surface upon which they grow or climb. The pitaya flower is white, extremely showy, edible, fragrant and bell shaped, about 1ft long and 9 inches wide. it’s an evening blooming flower. Unopened flower buds are often cooked and eaten as a vegetable; opened flowers are often used for tea. The fruit may be a fleshy berry, which is oblong with red and yellow scaly peel. The flesh could also be red or white counting on the species. Seeds are very small, numerous and black, embedded within the flesh.

3. NUTRITION

Proximate nutraceutical values in g or mg per 100 g edible portion of white-flesh dragon fruit are as follows:

Nutritive value per 100 g of dragon fruit

Regarding different uses of Dragon fruit, young stems ofH. undatusare edible also as fresh flower buds that are eaten as vegetables, while dried ones are used for homemade medicine. In Taiwan, dry flowers are consumed as vegetables besides this it’s also taken within the sort of juice, jam, or preserves consistent with the taste needed, besides used as fresh table fruit. it’s widely used as juice and in fruit salads at restaurants. Regular consumption of Dragon fruit helps in fighting against cough and asthma; also it helps for healing wounds and cuts quickly thanks to it contains high amount of vitamin C . However, the high level of vitamin C found in Dragon fruit plays a crucial role to reinforce system and also to stimulate the activity of other antioxidant within the body. additionally to getting used as a coloring agents, consumption of Dragon fruit mostly as fresh fruit as relieving thirst thanks to it contains high water level compared with other nutrient levels Health benefits of Dragon fruit is additionally rich in flavonoids that act against cardio related problems, also dragon fruit aids to treat bleeding problems of discharge . Dragon fruits are rich in fibers; however, it aids in digestion of food. Dragon fruit is additionally full of B-complex vitamin group (B1, B2 and B3) which possess a crucial role in health benefit. vitamin B1 helps in increasing energy production and in carbohydrate metabolism, vitamin B2 in Dragon Fruit acts as a multivitamin; however, it aids to enhance and recover the loss of appetite. And Vitamin B3 present in dragon fruit plays a crucial role in lowering bad cholesterol levels; it provides smooth and moisturizes skin appearance. also because it improves eye sight and stop hypertension. Dragon fruit is additionally helpful in reducing blood glucose levels in people affected by type 2 diabetes, studies suggest that the glucose found in Dragon fruit helps in controlling the blood glucose level for diabetes patients. It contains high level of phosphorus and calcium. It helps to strengthen bones and play a crucial role in tissue formation and forms healthy teeth.

4. CLIMATE

Pitaya plants should be planted in an open well-lit sunny area for best growth and fruit production. Avoid windy areas as strong consistent winds can damage the trellises or other sorts of support provided for the stems.

5. SOIL

Pitaya are often grown during a wide selection of soils. Soils that are well drained and high in organic matter are recommended. Beds of 40 – 50 cm high and three m broad with loose soil are recommended.

6. VARIETIES

Several species with varying skin and pulp colors, like red skin/red pulp, red skin/white pulp and yellow skin/white pulp are produced in St.Vincent and therefore the Grenadines. The fruit comes in three types, all with leathery, slightly leafy skin:

Hylocereus undatus—white flesh with pink skin,

Hylocereus polyrhizus– red flesh with pink skin,

Hylocereus costaricencis– with violet red flesh and pink skin and

Hylocereus (Selenicerus) megalanthus– white flesh with yellow skin.

7. PROPAGATION

Seedlings are slow growing, and unreliable for propagation.H.undatusand H.costaricensiscan be multiplied naturally and really easily by isolating the stem as soon because it touches the bottom . It takes 14 months to return to bearing under West Bengal condition; however duration may vary in several locality for various climate . Seeds also can be used as propagation material but it’ll take 3 years to return to bearing. The hardiness of the crop enables it to survive under field condition. Provided cuttings are a minimum of (50 to 70) cm long and are regularly watered so as to make sure satisfactory rooting. 2 -3 years old strong and dark green branches should be selected then removing from the tree and cut in pieces of 40 – 50 cm long. The cuttings must have good eyes, which are covered by strong thorns and without damages or pest infectations. If of these conditions are provided around 90% of the cuttings ensure rooting. A slanted cut is formed at the stem base, this is often left during a shaded area for about 5-7 days to dry and heal before being planted out directly within the field.

8. DRAGON FRUIT PLANTATION

For Dragon fruit plantation, plant the cured cuttings directly into the soil at a depth of a minimum of 1½ – 2 inches. Provide a stake as support for the new plants, e,g. wooden or concrete posts, a wall or a fence. Mounds should be prepared with loose soil and fertilizer (20 kg organic + 0.5 kg super phosphate+ 1kg NPK 16-16-8 per 50 supporting posts before dragon fruit plantation. 3-4 cuttings should be planted round the supporting post and covered with soil, straw and eventually tied.

The distance between dragon fruits plants depends on the sort of support used. With a vertical support a 2–3 m distance between planting lines is required which could accommodate 2000 and 3750 cuttings/ ha, at the speed of three cuttings per support is planted.

With horizontal or inclined supports the density are often much higher since the cuttings are planted every 50–75 cm round the production table (6500 cuttings ·ha–1) or along the inclined support (6500 cuttings–1). Planting at a distance of two .5 m each to row and between the plants with 4 cutting/ support can accommodate 6400 plants / ha and also gives good yields and quality of fruits. the peak of those differing types of support should be between (1.40 and 1.60) m for vertical supports and between (1 and 1.20) m for horizontal and inclined supports to facilitate management of the crop.

9. CANOPY MANAGEMENT FOR DRAGON FRUIT PLANTATION

Dragon fruit may be a semi-epiphytic vine plant that may climb naturally to any natural or artificial support they meet (trees, wood or cement posts, stone walls, etc.), thanks to the presence of aerial roots. many various sorts of support are used, but mainly vertical supports made from wood or cement and iron posts and horizontal and inclined supports. Plant growth is rapid and continuous, though possibly with a vegetative respite when the climate is unfavorable (drought and really low temperatures). Growing them flat on the bottom isn’t recommended, firstly because it makes cultivation harder (pollination, harvest, etc.), secondly because contact with the bottom causes damage to the vines. Pitahaya are thus best grown on living or dead supports. Plant growth is rapid and continuous, though possibly with a vegetative respite when the climate are unfavourable (drought and really low temperatures). When vertical and horizontal supports are used, pruning is vital and therefore the stems should be selected in such how to force the plant to climb over the whole support. All lateral growth and parts of the plant facing the bottom should be removed, while the most stems and branch stems are kept, except for people who touch the bottom. Major pruning is administered the primary year after planting. regardless of the support used, the stem must be attached thereto with a clip. The aim of maintenance pruning is to limit bunch growth and this could be administered as early because the second year after planting. In practice, the extent of pruning depends on the sort of support and its strength. for instance, a 3-year old plant weighs around 70 kg. albeit this weight isn’t in itself a drag for the various sorts of support, bunches might not be ready to withstand violent winds. Pruning consists of removing all the damaged items from the plant additionally to people who are entangled with each other. The post-harvest pruning encourages the expansion of the latest young shoots which will bear flowers the subsequent year.

10. MANURING AND FERTILIZATION

In Dragon Fruit Plantation, for better yield performance of the crop proper nutrient requirement is required. The pitahaya’s rootage is superficial and may rapidly assimilate even the littlest quantity of nutrients. Fertilizer recommendations include :

The first year: 50 g Urea + 50 g Super phosphat/3 times/year/supporting post.
Fruit bearing stage : 0.5 kg Urea + 0.5 kg Super phosphate + 0.5 kg potasium + 20 kg organic fertilizer/ 3 times/year/supporting post.
Additional application of microelements like foliar fertilizer is often used 1 time/ week when the fruits are developing.
The fertilizer must stop a minimum of 10 days before the fruits are harvest.

11. IRRIGATION

albeit pitahaya can survive with very low rainfall, many months of drought, when good quality fruits are required, a daily water system is required . Regular irrigation is vital , because it enables the plant to create sufficient reserves not only to flower at the foremost favourable time but also to make sure the event of the fruits. Local micro-irrigation is suggested . additionally to the efficiency of the water supplied by this technique , micro-irrigation avoids uneven and excess watering which will end in the flowers and therefore the young fruits slump .

12. INTERCULTURALOPERATIONS

Weeds on the brink of the plant should be removed manually. Use a herbicide with a shield for weeds along the inter row space. Big weeds should be controlled at any fertilizer application but small weeds are often left so as to urge a canopy on the bed which limits the evaporation of water and fertilizer. Finally the bottom of the supporting post should be covered with 10 kg of coconut peat as fertilizer and soil porous maker. During the season , particularly so in areas with sandy soil, the mature pitaya fruits must be harvested on time to stop the fruits from absorbing excess water which causes them to separate open. 2. Always use a shield when applying gramoxone or any herbicide to avoid damaging the plant.

13. POLLINATION

The lack of genetic diversity and/or the absence of pollinating agents in certain production areas mean that manual crosspollination pollination is required to make sure fruit set and development. Manual pollination is straightforward and this operation is facilitated by the floral characteristics of Hylocereus, because the different floral parts are huge. Finally, manual pollination could also be administered from before anthesis of the flower (from 4:30 P.M.) until 11:00 A.M. subsequent day. These manual pollinations are worth undertaking and therefore the fruits obtained are of fantastic quality.

A butterfly belonging to the Sphingideae family, of the genus Maduca and early morning by bees. Pollination is accomplished by opening the flower by pinching the bulging part. This reveals the stigmata, which are then covered with pollen with a brush. Alternatively, the anthers are often directly deposited (with minimal pressure) on the stigmata with the fingers. The pollen are often faraway from a flower of a special clone (or from another species) and stored during a box until needed. The pollen faraway from two flowers are going to be enough for around 100 pollinations with a brush. It are often stored for from (3 to 9) months at –18 °C to – 196 °C without risk. Fruits obtained after pollination using pollen stored at 4 °C for (3 to 9) months are very small. However, the standard of the fruits resulting from free pollination is usually less than that of these obtained by manual cross-pollination.

14. HARVESTING

The fruit skin colors very late within the maturation stage, changing from green to red or rosy-pink (25 or 27 days) (depending on the species) after anthesis. it’ll take 30 days for harvest to H. costaricensis. Four or five days later, the fruits reach their maximal colouration and results in splitting and cause economical loss. the primary harvest begins from the 14th months (H. costaricensis) after the cuttings were planted under West Bengal condition; the period of time between flowering and harvest is brief and varies only slightly, from (27 to 33 days) counting on the ecology. The yield depends on planting density and is around (10 to 30 t/ha). The absence of a peduncle makes picking difficult. this harvesting technique of simply move the fruit in clock wise direction and twisting the fruit cause less or no injury to the fruits. The fruits aren’t very fragile, but to make sure an honest quality product certain precautions should be taken; for instance , careful handling during processing and storage, especially for H. costaricensiswhose foliated scales is brittle.

15. PESTS AND DISEASES

Few pests are recorded on Hylocereus. Ants belonging to the genera Atta and Solenopsisare very notorious pests and may cause major damage to the plants also on the flowers and fruits. Cotinus mutabilisperforates the stem and Leptoglossus zonatussucks the sap, leaving stains and a few deformations. Different species of aphids and scales have also been observed on fruits and flowers. Rats and birds can cause serious damage, mainly to flowers and fruits also as ripe fruits. In fact, bees are often extremely efficient and, after only a couple of hours of activity, they’re going to have harvested all the pollen. The pollen must thus be collected before the bees arrive and manual pollination administered subsequent morning as soon because the bees have left the plantation. Different fungal (Gloeosporium agaves, Macssonina agaves, Dothiorellasp. and Botryosphaeria dothidea), viral (Cactus virus X), and bacterial (Xanthomonassp. and Erwiniasp.) diseases also are reported within the literature and may have major consequences.