Production of seedlings and cuttings in pitaya

Abstract

TThe Pitaya (Hylocereus undatus Haw.), is considered a promising culture, due to the higher consumption of exotic fruits, commercial value and rusticity. The study of the production of seedlings is of fundamental importance when searching for new techniques for the cultivation and production of red pitaya. Thus, the objective of the present work is to evaluate the effects of pitaya seedling production by seed and cuttings, according to different collection seasons (summer and winter) and concentrations of gibberellic acid, as well as storage time, in view of the physiological quality. The experiment will be carried out at the Phytotechnology Laboratory of the Department of Plant Science, Food Technology and Socio-Economy at the Faculty of Engineering of Ilha Solteira - FEIS / UNESP. The project will be divided into two experiments. For the first experiment, three sizes of cuttings (cladodes) with 10, 20 and 40 cm lengths, collected at different times, will be used. Of the analyzed variables: length of stake (cm), fresh and dry mass (g), sprouting number and percentage of rooting. The experimental design will be randomized block, in a 3×2 factorial scheme (stake size x collect season), with four replications and five cuttings per plot. The averages will be compared by the Scott-Knott test at a 5% probability level and polynomial regression analysis. In the second experiment, the material used will come from seeds of mature red pitaya fruits, stored or not at 10 ° C, in which the seeds will be immersed in gibberellic acid at the concentrations of 0, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 ppm for 4 hours, followed by sowing. The experimental design will be entirely randomized, with five treatments and four replicates. The characteristics analyzed will be: first germination count (%), germination (%), germination speed index, emergence speed index, seedling length (cm), fresh and dry mass of seedlings (g).