Dragon fruit is one of the newly cultivated horticultural crops in Indonesia with the color of red fruit that lights up and scaly green (Khairunnas & Tety, 2011). This fruit has a very unique shape and quite attractive to look at. Physical form similar to pineapple fruit only this fruit has a tendril on the skin. Pink dragon fruit with various types of flesh, among others, white, yellow and red with black seeds are very soft and soft black...
Classification of dragon fruit plants
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Spermatophyta |
| Subdivision | Angiospermae |
| Class | Dicotyledonae |
| Order | Cactales |
| Family | Cactaceae |
| Genus | Hylocereus |
| Species | Hylocereus cistericensi, Hylocereus undarus, Hylocereus polyrhizus, selenicereus megalanthus |
PLANT DRAGON FRUIT MORPHOLOGY
Morphologically, Dragon Fruit plants include incomplete plants because they have no leaves. To adapt to the desert environment, dragon fruit plants have spines along its trunks and branches. Dragon fruit plants are climbing plants and are empifit. In the original habitat of this plant these plants climb other plants to grow. Although the roots in the ground are deprived, dragon fruit plants can still survive because there are roots that grow in the stem. The aerial roots are able to absorb food reserves from the air (Emil, 2011).
Root
Dragon fruit has root that is epiphytic, sticking or propagating in other plants. The root is a fiber root found on the base of the stem that grows on the soil media or attached to the propagation media in the form of a pole or wood (Emil,2011).
The roots of this plant are very drought resistant and can not stand the puddle long enough. The roots of dragon fruit plants are not very long and branch roots form. From root branches grow very small hair roots, soft, and many (Kristanto,2003).
Dragon fruit roots are generally shallow, ranging from 20-30 cm. however, before the production of this fruit plant extends its roots to a depth of 50-60 cm, following the length of the brown stems embedded in the soil (Hardjadinata 2012)..
Trunks and Branches
The cross section of the dragon fruit tree rod is triangular, extending to a maximum length of about 9 meters green to dark green. The stem of this plant has thorns which are the main characteristics of the cactus family. The stalks of this fruit plant are waxed and able to climb on a wall or support rod (Yanti, 2008).
Dragon dragon fruit plants contain water in the form of mucus and wax-coated when adult. The trunk is long and triangular in green. In this stem many branches grow where the stem and branches act as leaves in the assimilation process. Trunk and branches overgrown with hard thorns but very short so not conspicuous. Location of the spines on the edge of the stem and branch (Setyowati, 2008).
Flower
Flower dragon fruit plants are located on the trunk tendrils, trumpet-shaped, and white. The arrangement of flowers is a compound arrangement of flowers. The fruit is elliptical and oval and fleshy red and very thick (Setyowati, 2008).
Dragon fruit plants have beautiful flowers yellowish white color so that often people maintain dragon fruit plants for ornamental purposes. Flower dragon fruit plants are blooming perfectly at night with a length can reach 29 cm (Yanti, 2008).
At a glance this dragon fruit flower is shaped like a pineapple, the entire surface of the flower is covered by a scaly crown, the shape of an elongated funnel measuring about 30 cm. The petals are green. Flowers will bloom perfectly at night around 22:00 (night blooming receus), when the crown bloom will be clean white, inside yellow stamens and emit a fragrant aroma. While in the middle there is a pistil that will be a fruit if it is pollination occurs (Hardjadinata, 2012).
Fruit
Dragon fruit bebentuk round long, the location of the fruit is generally close to the end of the branch or stem. In stems or stems may grow fruit more than one, sometimes simultaneously or coincide (Rahayu, 2014).
White flesh dragon fruit (Hylocereus undatus)
This dragon fruit has white flesh and black seeds that contrast with the red skin. Sweetness level ranges from 10-13 briks, which means lower than other types. Its weight reaches 650 grams with red-bleeding red skin.Red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrizus)
This red dragon fruit has smaller fruit than the dragon fruit white dragon fruit of this type capable of producing average weight up to 500 grams. fruit red dragon has a sweet taste sweetness reaches 15 briks.Super red dragon fruit (hylocereus costaricensis) Super red dragon fruit is a dragon fruit that has super red meat. This fruit grows well like any other dragon fruit in the area with
inar sun that is enough on low to moderate plains. The shape of the fruit is round with red tendrils. The weight of this dragon fruit reaches 500 grams per fruit, has a sweetness level of 13-15 briks.Yellow dragon fruit (Hylocereus megalanthus)
Yellow dragon fruit has a smaller size than any other dragon fruit. Yellow fruit skin is almost not scaly, has a sweetness level reaches 18 briks (Umayah, 2007).
Dragon-shaped dragon fruit oval with a diameter of 10-12 cm, thick-skinned. As the name of this dragon fruit type of white meat has red skin when ripe, fringed greenish and white flesh with black seeds scattered (Yanti, 2008).
Seed
Seeds are small round shape with black color. Seed skin is very thin, but not hard. These seeds can be used to grow plants generatively. But plant propagation using seeds takes a long time, so rarely cultivators who apply it. Each fruit contains about 1,200 - 2,300 seeds (Kristanto, 2003). Propagation of plants using seeds is rarely used because it takes a long time until the plant produces (Hardjadinata, 2012).
TERMS OF GROWING DRAGON FRUIT
Terms grow from dragon fruit plants can be explained as below is as follows:
Climate.
Dragon fruit plants grow well in the area that has a rainfall of 2000 mm / year. Dragon fruit plants prefer dry conditions rather than wet (moist). But dragon fruit can still grow on high rainfall (about 1,000-1,300 mm / yr) dragon fruit growth requires full solar intensity required about 80%.), Ideal air temperature for dragon fruit tanman ranges from 26-36o C. with humidity 70- 90% (Emil, 2011).Land and Altitude Place
Dragon fruit plants can grow well on relatively less fertile soil (even on rocky soil), on relatively acid-reacting soils to saline soils and resistant to water shortages. Dragon fruit plants can grow well on groundwater conditions near wilting point (Setyowati, 2008).
The height of the place for the cultivation of red and white dragon fruit that is low to medium ranged from 0 m - 500 m from sea level, the ideal is less than 400 m above sea level. In areas at altitudes above 500 meters above sea level, red and white dragon fruit can still grow well and bear fruit, but the fruit is not dense and the taste of less sweet fruit. For yellow dragon fruit,
altitudes suitable for growth and production are above 800 meters above sea level (Cahyono, 2009).
Photos taken using camera vivo v5s
Reference
Cahyono, B. 2009. Buku Terlengkap Sukses Bertanam Buah Naga. Jakarta :Pustaka Mina.
Emil. 2011. Untung Berlipat Dari Bisnis Buah Naga Unggul. Yogyakarta; Lily Publisher. Hal 13
Hardjadinata, Sinatra. 2012. Budi Daya Buah Naga Super Red Secara Organik. Cetakan ke III. Jakarta: Penebar Swadaya Group.
Setyowati, Ari. 2008. Analisis Morfologi Dan Sitologi Tanaman Buah Naga Kulit Kuning (Selenicereus Megalanthus). Skripsi. Fakultas Pertanian. Universitas Sebelas Maret.
Umayah U, Evi dan Moch. Amrun H. 2007. “Uji Aktivitas Antioksidan Ekstrak Buah Naga (Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britt. & Rose”. Jurnal Ilmu Dasar. Vol. 8(1): 83-90.
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Awesome! I was looking for this. Any information on triggering flowering?