 |
||
          |
Cultivation
Commercial cultivation of the Hylocereus, Selenicereus and Cereus genera for their fruits has been carried out in some of the Central American countries, Vietnam and Israel for some time. Hylocereus undatus/ocamponis/polyrhizus have been cultivated in Taiwan and Malaysia recently. As the fruit becomes more popular, the demand for it is likely to rise with the prospect of it becoming a plantation crop. Columnar cacti do not require a trellis which is commonly used for the climbing cacti. Different types of supporting structures have been employed in the cultivation of the climbing cacti such as trellis, wooden posts, concrete posts and metal rods. Cultural, climatic and economic criteria will determine the type of supporting structure preferred. Horticulture
Light Tolerance
Originating from subtropical and tropical America, some species require shade and must be grown under nethouse to prevent bleaching from intense irradiation. Others like H. polyrhizus with its waxy and thick skin can withstand high light intensity.
Temperature Tolerance
Extreme temperature can be damaging to some of the cacti which can tolerate up to 40 degree Celsius. Hylocereus undatus is particularly sensitive to extremely high temperature resulting in browning and liquefying of the affected stems. Flowering is affected by temperature being much lower at temperature above 38 degrees.
Rainfall
The cacti adapt to semi-arid regions with rainfall between 600-1300mm. Excessive rainfall leads to flower drop and reduction in fruit set. Waterlogging kills the cacti. A dry rot is caused by excessive soil moisture. High humidity encourages the proliferation of soft rot caused by a bacterium, Erwinia carotovora.
|
|