Jungui Xu² , Zizhong Wang² , Tianhui Shi^1,3 , Yuxin He^1,3 , Zhen Liu¹

1 Hainan Institute of Zhejiang University, Sanya, 572024, Hainan, China
2 Hainan Huitian Agriculture Co., Ltd., Sanya, 572024, Hainan, China
3 College of Agricultural & Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hanzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Horticulture, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 4   doi: 10.5376/ijh.2024.14.0026
Received: 20 Jun., 2024    Accepted: 25 Jul., 2024    Published: 18 Aug., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Xu J.G., Wang Z.Z., Shi T.H., He Y.X., and Liu Z., 2024, Growth characteristics and high sweetness cultivation management plan of thornless yellow dragon fruit, International Journal of Horticulture, 14(4): 237-249 (doi: 10.5376/ijh.2024.14.0026)

Hylocereus undatus (Haw.), also known as thornless yellow dragon fruit, is a yellow-skinned, white-fleshed dragon fruit that has garnered attention for its bright appearance and high vitamin content. However, its high acidity and short shelf life have limited its market acceptance, with the cultivation area gradually decreasing from 5,000 mu to less than 200 mu. This study focused on the growth characteristics and cultivation and management measures of Hylocereus undatus (Haw.). The study found that spraying the entire fruit with 100 ppm gibberellin + 10 ppm forchlorfenuron + 1,000 ppm slow-release nitrogen fertilizer during the first fruit expansion period can extend the fruit-bearing period to 40 days, the hanging period 30 days, and increase soluble solids by 21.5% Brix. The results indicate that the optimized cultivation management plan effectively improved the taste and shelf life of Hylocereus undatus (Haw.), enhancing its market competitiveness. The improved cultivation management techniques not only enhanced the fruit quality of Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) but also provided solid technical support for its commercial promotion. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for the cultivation of other high-acidity, short-shelf-life fruits, and have significant practical implications. 

Dragon fruit; Thornless yellow dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus (Haw.)); Cultivation technology; High sweetness; Shelf life