Search
2024-10-07
Enhancing plant growth and yield in dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus) through strategic pruning: A comprehensive approach for sunburn and disease management

August 31, 2024 | Scientia Horticulturae |

Researchers from ICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management and VNMKV-College of Agriculture conducted a study to evaluate the effects of canopy management through pruning on dragon fruit growth and productivity. Canopy management is essential in fruit crops to ensure an ideal plant structure that enhances light distribution, air circulation, and microclimate control, ultimately improving photosynthesis and reducing pest and disease spread.

The study focused on assessing how strategic pruning affected the physiological and biochemical parameters, as well as flowering, fruiting, and the incidence of sunburn and diseases. Results showed that pruning improved chlorophyll content and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and significantly increased the production of new sprouts and fruitful cladodes compared to unpruned plants. Additionally, pruning reduced sunburn by 67.68% in 2022 and 69.05% in 2023, while minimizing disease incidence by 43.23% and 81.51%, respectively.

In terms of yield, lightly and moderately pruned plants showed a significant increase of 11-48% in the second year, compared to just 2.8% in unpruned controls. The study concluded that maintaining 120-160 cladodes, or 12-14 per square meter, through light pruning in a mop-top training system is advisable in semi-arid regions for improved dragon fruit productivity.

Read more

Viewed Articles
Enhancing plant growth and yield in dragon fruit (<span style="font-style:italic;">Hylocereus undatus</span>) through strategic pruning: A comprehensive approach for sunburn and disease management
August 31, 2024 | Scientia Horticulturae |Researchers from ICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management and VNMKV-College of Agriculture conducted a study to evaluate the effects of canopy man
Oct 07, 2024
Read More
Evaluation of durian maturity using short-range, coded-light, three-dimensional scanner with machine learning
December 05, 2024| Postharvest Biology and Technology |Researchers from Kasetsart University, Thailand, have developed a novel approach to address the challenge of immature fruit inclusion in the duri
Enhancing dragon fruit [<span style="font-style:italic;"> Hylocereus undatus </span>(Haw.) Britt and Rose] propagation with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and cutting techniques
January 29, 2025 | New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science |Researchers from Punjab Agricultural University, India, conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of different concentra
2025.02.25
Climate change impacts on worldwide ecological niche and invasive potential of <span style="font-style:italic;">Sternochetus mangiferae </span>
October 09, 2024 | Pest Management Science |A study conducted by Washington State University, USA, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM), Brazil, and the University of Envir
Status and prospects of cultivation of Garcinia species in India
January 10, 2025 | Current Functional Foods |A study on the Garcinia genus, a significant group of evergreen trees from the family Clusiaceae, was conducted by researchers from the ICAR-Indian Institu
Multi-omic applications for understanding and enhancing tropical fruit flavor
July 08, 2024 | Plant Molecular Biology |Researchers from Griffith University, Australia, examined the growing consumer demand for nutrient-rich tropical fruits and the challenges in maintaining desir
2024.11.27
TOP