Improvement of production and fruit quality of pitayas with potassium fertilization

Melhoria da produção e qualidade de pitaias com adubação potássica

ABSTRACT.

Pitaya is a fruit that is becoming promising for cultivation around the world due to the quality of its fruits in terms of taste and their peculiar external shape. Because it is a recenttly cultivated crop, information about fertilization is essential to enable its production. In this sense, this study was performed aiming to evaluate different doses of K₂O for pitaya cultivation. Hylocereus undatus and Hylocereus polyrhizus were studied under field conditions. Pitayas were cultivated at a 3 × 3m spacing, and four doses of K₂O were tested: 0, 50, 100, and 200 g plant^-1, with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement distributed in a randomized block design. The production per plant (kg and number of fruits) was evaluated in the production cycles of 2013/2014, 2014/2015, and 2015/2016. The fruit quality was also evaluated: longitudinal diameter, transverse diameter, mass, soluble solids content, titratable acidity and soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio. Potassium fertilization increased production and provided a better quality of pitaya fruits.K₂O fertilization should be from 106.0 to 133.3 g K₂O in the first year and 200 g K₂O in the second and third years after planting.

Keywords:
chemical fertilizer; exotic fruit; Hylocereus undatus; Hylocereus polyrhizus