KNOW YOUR DRAGON FRUIT

Or dragon fruit dragon fruit was not long ago recognized, cultivated, and cultivated in Indonesia. Plants with red fruit and green scaly This is a newcomer to the world of agriculture in Indonesia and is one of the promising business opportunities and development are very good dragon fruit plants cultivated tropical areas such as Indonesia.

History of Dragon Fruit Spread.

This cactus plant from Mexico State, Central America, and North America and is now spread all over the world. In the area of origin is named after the dragon fruit or pitaya pitahaya Roja. Residents there often take advantage of this fruit to be served as fresh fruit consumption over the kitchen dishes.

But in its development, more commonly known as dragon fruit plants from Asia because it was developed on a large scale in several countries, especially Asian countries Vietnam and Thailand. At first the plant is intended as an ornamental plant, because the triangle shape and spiny stem short and has a beautiful flower is similar to funnel-shaped flowers Wijayakusuma and start blooming disenja and will bloom at night. That's why this plant is also called the night-blooming cereus.

Name or dragon fruit dragon fruit probably caused this fruit has a bright red color and has a green skin with a fin similar to the figure of a dragon in the imagination of the country of China. Formerly an ancient Chinese society often presents these fruits by putting them between two male dragon statue above the altar table and is believed to bring blessings.

As his native Mexico and the American region, although this plant was originally intended for ornamental tanamanan Vietnam in its development community began to develop as a fruit crop, because it's not only edible, taste the fruit is also delicious and contain useful and efficacious. So the plant is cultivated as a plantation house-garden plants taken the fruit.

Dragon fruit into or becoming known in Indonesia around 2000, and not from farming alone but on imports from Thailand. Though it is relatively easy crop cultivation and tropical climate in Indonesia is very supportive of development.

This plant was developed around 2001, some areas in East Java, including Mojokerto, Pasuruan, Jember and surrounding areas. But until this very day the dragon fruit planting area is practically a little and only in certain areas because it is still relatively rare and not yet widely known to the public.

Dragon Fruit Classification

Division: Spermatophyta (seed plants)

Subdivisions: Agiospermae (seeds enclosed)

Class: Dicotyledonae (two pieces)

Order: Cactales

Family: Cactaceae

Subfamily: Hylocereanea

Genus: Hylocereus

Species: - Hylocereus undatus (white meat)

- Hylocereus polyrhizus (red meat)

- Hylocereus costaricensis (super red meat)

- Selenicereus megalanthus (yellow skin, no scales)

Including dragon fruit cactus plants or groups of family and subfamily Hylocereanea Cactaceae. Including the genus Hylocereus consisting of from several species, and include the usual dragon fruit cultivation and commercial value.

Dragon Fruit Morphology.

Dragon fruit plants is a type of climbing plants. In the original habitat of this plant to climb other plants are epiphytes to sustain and still be alive despite their roots in the ground revoked because they still can get food from the air through the roots that grow dibatangnya. Morphologically these plants including plants not complete because it has no leaves.

Here is further explanation of the dragon fruit plant morphology, root, stem and branches, flowers, fruits and seeds:

Root

Dragon fruit roots are epiphytes, vines and sticks to other plants. In cultivation, the pillar was made to stem merambatkan this dragon fruit plants. Dragon fruit roots resistant to drought but not stand in a puddle of water too long. Although the roots torn from the land can still live by absorbing food and water from the aerial roots that grow on the trunk.

Dragon fruit rooting bias is said to shallow, just before production only reached a depth of 50-60 cm, following the extension of the brown stem in the soil. This is what can be used as a benchmark in fertilization.

In order for normal root growth bias and requires a good degree of soil acidity on the ideal condition is pH 7. If the soil pH below 5, plant growth will be slow and become stunted. In the cultivation of soil pH must be known before and after the crop is planted, because the roots are an important factor to absorb nutrients that are in the soil.

Trunk and Branches

Stems green dragon fruit bluish or purplish. The elbow-shaped rod or a triangle and contain water in the form of lenders and encrusted candles when an adult. From this stems grow branches that form and color similar to the stem and functioning as a leaf to the process of assimilation and contain cambium that function for plant growth. In the trunk and branches of this plant grow thorns that hard and short. Location of thorns on the edge of the right-angled stems and branches and fruit made up 4-5 thorns grows at each point.

Interest

Flowers funnel-shaped dragon fruit measuring about 30 cm in length and will begin to bloom in the evening and will bloom at night. After the bloom color inner crown of pure white flowers and yellow benangsari contained therein and will issue a fragrant smell.

Fruit

Fruit elliptical, and is usually located close to the end of the branch or trunk. At the branch or trunk growing bias more than one and sometimes close together. Thick rind of about 1-2 cm and the fruit skin surface have fins or tassels measuring about 2 cm.

Seed

Round-shaped seeds are small and thin but very hard. Seeds can be used in a generative plant propagation, but this is rarely done because it takes a long time to produce. Usually seeds are used by researchers to create new varieties. Each fruit contains over 1000 seeds.