Autopolinização e qualidade de fruto em pitaia vermelha (Hylocereus undatus)

Abstract

The pitahaya is a fruit-bearing plant both exotic and recent in Brazil, therefore studies in relation to its reproductive biology are necessary. Some works report difficulties in the growth and development of fruits when flowers are self-pollinated. The aim of this research was to study spontaneous self-pollination in red pitahaya and compare the quality of the fruits produced with those obtained by natural pollination. The experiment was established in the orchard of the Universidade Federal de Lavras and for its conduction, one hundred flowers from twenty-four pitahaya plants were utilized. The flowers were bagged before anthesis with TNT bags to prevent cross-pollination and fifteen days after the bagging of the flowers, the percentage of fruits set was evaluated. Fourteen fruits were harvested at the experimental field (seven of each type of pollination) and following physical and physico-chemical analysis were performed: fruit mass and pulp mass, transversal and longitudinal diameter of the fruit, number and weight of seeds per fruit, number and weight of seeds per fruit, peel thickness, soluble solid content, titrable acidity, pH, ratio and percentage of germinated seeds. For characteristics of the fruits a completely randomized design was used, with seven replications, considering a fruit one repetition. It was concluded that the isolation of pitahaya flowers can interfere negatively on fruit yield. Best results for fruit mass, pulp mass, transversal and longitudinal diameter and number of seeds were obtained with natural pollination.