Desempenho de genótipos de pitaya nas condições edafoclimáticas de Fortaleza, Ceará

Abstract

Pitaya has attracted the interest of producers and consumers in Brazil's soil and climatic conditions, and research evaluating cultivars in different locations in the country is important. The aim was to assess the performance of six pitaya genotypes (Hylocereus spp. and Selenicereus spp.) in the soil and climate conditions of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. The experiment was conducted from October 2023 to May 2024. The design used was a randomized block design with six treatments, corresponding to the pitaya genotypes: ‘BRS Lua do Cerrado’; ‘BRS Luz do Cerrado’; ‘BRS Minipitaya do Cerrado’; ‘BRS Granada do Cerrado’; ‘BRS Âmbar do Cerrado’ and the Costa Rica variety (H. costaricensis), with six replications and three plants per experimental unit. The results were subjected to variance analysis using the F test. When significant at up to 5%, they were subjected to the Tukey test at 5% to compare all the cultivars with each other, and the Dunnett test at 5% to compare the treatments with the control/trial control (Costa Rica variety). Growth variables were analyzed: sum of cladode length, average cladode width, average rib thickness, number of cladodes, number of areoles, number of ribs, absolute and relative growth rate of the sum of cladode length and number of cladodes; photosynthetic pigments: chlorophyll a, b, total, carotenoid and chlorophyll a fluorescence levels in the vegetative phase of pitaya. The hybrid ‘BRS Granada do Cerrado’ stood out from the other cultivars and the control treatment (Costa Rica) in terms of development in the first seven months of cultivation, as well as showing better adaptability to the soil and climate conditions of Fortaleza, Ceará, with high potential for cultivation in the region.