Effect of Bearing Branch on the Fruit Quality of Pitaya (Hylocereus undulates Britt.)

PurposeThe influence of bearing branch on the fruit quality of pitaya (Hylocereus undulates Britt.) was studied in order to provide scientific basis for the high-quality cultivation of pitaya.

Method‘Guihonglong No.1’ pitaya was used as material to study the effects of bearing branch on the single fruit weight, transverse diameter, longitudinal diameter, fruit shape index, peel thickness, the soluble solid content of central flesh and the soluble solid content of marginal flesh.

ResultOnly stem circumference and arris thickness were in a highly significant positive correlation among bearing branch characters (P<0.01). There were many indexes of fruit quality having a highly significant (P<0.01) or significant correlation (P<0.05) with each other. The stem circumference of bearing branch showed significantly positive correlations with the transverse diameter of fruit and the soluble solid content of central flesh respectively (P<0.05), the arris thickness of bearing branch showed significantly positive correlations with single fruit weight, the longitudinal diameter of fruit and peel thickness respectively (P<0.05), there was a significantly positive correlation between the length of bearing branch and the soluble solid content of central flesh (P<0.05), there was a significantly positive correlation between the growth angle of bearing branch and peel thickness (P<0.05), none of the correlations between the segment number of bearing branch and each index of fruit quality were significant (P>0.05). The single fruit weight, transverse diameter and longitudinal diameter of fruits from the bearing branches with arris thickness\geqslant 18.00 mm were all significantly larger than those with arris thickness<14.00 mm (P>0.05); the single fruit weight and transverse diameter of fruits from southward branches were all significantly larger than those from northward branches (P<0.05), the peel thickness of fruits from eastward branches was significantly smaller than those from westward branches and northward branches respectively (P<0.05), there were no significant differences in the longitudinal diameter, fruit shape index, soluble solid content of central flesh and soluble solid content of marginal flesh of fruits from bearing branches pointing in all directions (P>0.05).

ConclusionCultivating the long bearing branches with large stem circumference, thick arris and small growth angle is favorable for harvesting pitaya fruits with large size, high sweetness and thin peel.