Analysis of Pitaya Planting Technology

Abstract: Pitaya belongs to the cactus family and is a tropical and subtropical fruit. Pitaya has a strong tolerance and can endure temperature changes of 0 to 40 °C. Pitaya does not have high requirements for cultivation conditions, and has the characteristics of tolerance to shade and like light, tolerance to barrenness and like fertilizer, tolerance to drought and like moisture. However, site selection, seedling raising, planting, and water and fertilizer management are still important factors affecting the healthy growth of pitaya. 

1. Growth characteristics of pitaya

The shape of pitaya is mostly oblong or oval, the fruit is about 10cm long, the flesh is red or white, and it contains many seeds of sesame shape. pitaya is heat and drought tolerant, have strong wind resistance, are more convenient to plant, and can grow rapidly in places with sufficient sunlight.

2. Analysis of pitaya planting technology

2.1 Site selection and construction

Before planting, the first step is to choose a proper site for pitaya. In the process of selecting a site, it is necessary to comprehensively consider environmental conditions such as terrain, soil quality, light, and try to choose a place with convenient transportation and sufficient sunshine to build the park. Although pitaya can grow in a variety of soil environments, but neutral or weakly acidic soil with deep soil layer and rich humus is more suitable for its growth. When planting on a hillside with a slope greater than 15°, a south-facing sunny slope should be selected, and terraces should be built along the contour line. Pitaya is a shallow-rooted succulent root crop. Therefore, the cultivation of pitaya needs to ensure sufficient water, but should also consider the drainage work in rainy days to prevent the plant from being infected by bacteria. When planting pitaya, column and fence cultivation are the more common planting methods. The column-type planting method requires the use of cement columns as pillars, and at the same time, iron wires are used to make cross-shaped brackets, so that pitaya can grow along the pillars. When setting up the pillars, the distance between the pillars needs to be considered, and four pitaya seedlings are generally planted around the pillars. Column planting can not only maximize the efficient use of land area, but also reasonably control the cost of pitaya cultivation. Fence cultivation is a row planting method in which a line is drawn between two columns to allow pitaya plants to climb up and grow along the line. Fence cultivation has the advantages of enhancing wind resistance, facilitating branch management, and facilitating mechanized farming. The application of this method can improve land utilization and reduce production costs.

2.2 Seedling stage

Pitaya seedlings generally choose cuttings or grafting methods. The use of cuttings has the advantages of controlling costs and increasing the speed of reproduction. Specifically, the healthy and plump pitaya stem nodes are divided into 15cm sections, which are sterilized and then inserted into the sand bed after the sections are air-dried. When using the cutting method, the root system of the seedling pitaya must be developed to ensure its survival rate. When the root system grows to about 3 to 4 cm, it can be transplanted. At the same time, it is necessary to pay close attention to the dryness and humidity of the soil. Generally, irrigation is carried out after 10 days, and the root system of fruit seedlings needs to be protected during watering. In addition, if the seedling cultivation is carried out by grafting, it is necessary to choose a sunny weather, which is suitable for the season with higher temperature. During the grafting process, it is necessary to choose full rhizomes, and disinfect the knives before cutting the stems of the pitaya, so as to prevent the knives with germs from infecting the pitaya.

2.3 Field planting stage

Choose spring and autumn as much as possible, and you need to dig planting holes in advance during the transplanting process. When column cultivation is adopted, the row spacing of columns is 1.5m × 2m. According to the calculation of 4 seedlings planted around each column, 750 seedlings can be planted per 667m2. If the density is too high, the probability of the fruit seedlings being infected by germs will be greatly increased. After that, it is necessary to reasonably control the thickness of the soil layer when covering the fruit seedlings to ensure the soil moisture and air permeability of the planting hole.

2.4 Water and Fertilizer Management

The growth cycle of pitaya is short and the growth rate is fast, so it is necessary to ensure sufficient water and fertilizer during the growth period of pitaya. If in the dry season, irrigation is required in the case of continuous 3d dry weather, the soil should be kept moist. In addition, when fertilizing and cultivating pitaya seedlings, nitrogen fertilizer should be used as the main fertilizer, and phosphate fertilizer and potassium fertilizer should be supplemented. If it is used in combination with organic fertilizer, the fertilization effect is better and can promote the growth of branches. For pitaya that are more than 3 years old, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be used as the main fertilizer, supplemented by nitrogen fertilizers, which can promote flowering and fruiting. Because pitaya is a shallow-rooted crop, fertilization should not be excessive, but should adhere to the principle of repeated small amounts, so as to provide sufficient nutrients for the growth of pitaya at various stages. It should be noted that the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers applied at each stage of pitaya is different and needs to be adjusted according to the season. For example, for pitaya planted in China, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers is 2:1:1 from December to April of the following year, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers from May to November is 1:2:3. At the same time, pitaya needs to be properly supplemented with potassium and magnesium fertilizers during the flowering and fruit setting period. Because the root system of pitaya is in the surface layer of the ground, it is not necessary to ditch deep fertilization, just fertilize in the topsoil.