What is Dragon Fruit

• The dragon fruit is also known as “Pitaya”. It is a cactus species and native to South America.Vietnam is the highest producer in the world.

• Dragon fruit plants are good ornamental plants for home gardening and also produce delicious fruits. 

• The dragon fruit plant is a climbing plant and needs support to climb. 

• The dragon fruit plant sustains well in heat and also thrives well in dry areas with partial sun. The flowers of plants are unique, large, and open only at night and expels an amazing scent at night. 

• The dragon fruits are available in dark red, pink or yellow colors. These fruits have thin skin covered with scales with a tasty red or white pulp in the center. 

• Dragon fruits can be grown from its seeds, cuttings or by purchasing a potted plant from a nursery. 

• Dragon fruits are used in fruit juice, jams, ice creams and wine.

Nutritional value of Dragon fruit

Dragon fruits are a good source of vitamin C, iron, fibers and antioxidants which keeps you healthy and boosts your immune system.

Varieties for Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruits are of mainly two varieties 

1. Stenocereus (sour dragon fruits)  

2. Hylocereus (sweet dragon fruit )

Stenocereus type

These dragon fruits are common fruits in areas of the USA, they have a sour and refreshing taste.

 Hylocereus type

 These dragon fruits are sweet in taste and come in different colors. There are 3 types of sweet dragon fruits.

1. White-fleshed Dragon Fruits or Pitaya Blanca or Hylocereus Undatus: these fruits have pink-skinned fruit with white flesh.

2. Red-Fleshed Dragon Fruits or Pitaya Rosa or HylocereusPolyrhizus: these fruits having red skin with red flesh.

3. Yellow Pitaya/ Yellow Amarilla or Selenicereus Megalanthus or Hylocereus Megalanthus: these are yellow-skinned fruit with white flesh.

Cultivation of Dragon fruit in Garden

( Note: Cultivation of Dragon fruit in Farm land- see below )

Selection of pots for growing Dragon Fruits.

• The Ideal pot size is 15-25 inches in diameter and 10-15 inches in depth.

• Pots should have a good draining system having 2 to 3 drain holes.

• For healthy growth of the plant use pots made of clay that keeps the appropriate temperature of the plant.

• Take a bigger pot for better growth of dragon fruit.

Season for Growing Dragon Fruit in Pots

• Dragon fruit grows well in a tropical climate and can also be grown in subtropical climates.

• Dragon fruits can be planted in winter, spring and summer. Ideal temperature range should be 20 to 30 degrees.

• It thrives well in dry and semi-dry climates.

• The dragon fruit plant can survive short periods of freezing temperatures or frost. But may spoil in longer periods of low temperature.

Suitable Soil for Growing Dragon Fruit

• The dragon fruits grow in well-drained fertile, sandy soil.

• Soil used should be very sandy,  mix equal quantities of garden soil, compost and river sand for better drainage and growth of plant.

• Fill the pot with the mixed soils and allow it to stay overnight before planting.

Propagating Methods of Dragon Fruit 

• The dragon fruits can be propagated by seeds or by cutting. You can buy potted plants from nurseries.

• Propagating the dragon fruits by cutting is easy and grows very fast. Buying potted plants are also recommended.

• Growing dragon fruit plants from its seeds is a time taking process.

Growing Dragon Fruit in Pots from Cuttings

• Growing dragon fruits from its cutting is the best and easiest method for propagating.

• Stems should be cut properly from a healthy mature plant. Use a sharp garden knife to cut the cutting from the plant.

• Length of the cutting should be 5 to 15 inches, collect it  from the plant that produces fruit.

• Cutting should be collected early in the morning.

• Immerse the cuttings in a liquid fungicide for a few minutes and dry it.

• Now place the cuttings in a shady and cool location with good air circulation for 5 to 6 days, this increases the disease resistance in cuttings and also fastens the growth.

• Plant the cuttings about 3-5 inches deep in the pot and keep the soil moist. Keep the pots in a sunny location.

• Dragon fruit cuttings take 5 to 7 weeks to germinate depending on stem cuttings and local climatic conditions.

• Once the cutting forms a root system, feed the plant with balanced organic and liquid fertilizers.

• Give support to the growing plant by wooden rods and wires in the pot.

Watering Requirements for Growing Dragon Fruit

• The dragon fruit plant doesn’t need flooding water. Over watering may cause rotting in the plants.

• Also keep the poles moist.

• The dragon fruit plant can tolerate dryness  for some period, but watering in intervals is recommended.

Sunlight Requirement for Growing Dragon Fruit 

• Dragon fruits love sunlight and thrive well in partial to full sun.

• The leaves of the dragon fruits should be exposed to proper sunlight for fast growing.

• The dragon fruit plant requires 5 to 7 hours of sunlight per day.

• Adequate sunlight fastens the growth of the plant and increases flowering and fruiting.

Pruning Requirement for Growing Dragon Fruit 

• Pruning is done to maintain the compact size of the plant.

• The Dragon fruit plant can grow up to 20 feet height, but if you want to keep a preferred height, just prune the branches.

• Keeping the plant compact size can make the plant stronger and increase the yields.

Pollination Requirement for Growing Dragon Fruit 

• Better pollination in flowers increases the fruits. Most of the varieties of dragon fruit plants are self pollinating, only some varieties need cross-pollination.

• Bees, Moths, bats etc pollinate the dragon fruit plant, or hand pollination can also be done for better pollination.

• For hand pollination, collect the pollen grains from other dragon fruit plants using a cotton swab or smooth brush and then rub the pollen on the stigma of your plant.

• Hand pollination should be done during the night or early in the morning for better results.

• If the plant is flowering and unable to bear fruit this indicates that it is not self-pollinating. Do hand pollination to improve yield.

Pests and Diseases in Growing Dragon Fruit

• Most common pests that trouble dragon fruit plants are mealybug and aphids. These insects suck the sweet sap of the plant and hampers the plant growth.

• Ants are also a major problem, they run upon the plant and sucks the sap.

• Plants are also affected by mites and thrips, these can slow down the growth of the plant.

• Using Neem oil or herbal oil spray or mild soapy water spray can treat these pests. 

• Don’t use commercial organic pesticides on the plant to treat pests.

• Diseases that affect dragon fruit are Dragon Spots, these spots occur on the stems and leaves of the plant due to bacterial infection.This disease can spread easily from plant to plant.

• Use an organic fungicide to treat the diseases in dragon fruits. Watering at the base of the plant without making branches wet can control fungal and bacterial diseases.

• The Plant can be affected with sunburns during the hottest period of summer.

• Plants may suffer from rot due to overwatering. Using well-drained soils  and perforated pots for drainage can protect the plants from rotting.

Harvesting of Dragon Fruit 

• The Dragon fruit plants that grow from seeds take 5 to 6 years to produce fruits.

• The Dragon fruit plant grown from a high yielding cutting takes 1-1.5 years to produce fruits.

• The plant blooms in early summer, mainly in June. 

• The plant bears fruit from July to November. 

• A dragon fruit plant can produce fruit for up to 10-15 years.

• The plant produces fruit after 30 to 50 days after flowering.

• Pick the fruits from the plant when the color of fruit changes from green to red or pink or yellow depending on the variety. It is better to harvest after 4-5 days of color changing. If you are planning to export or planning to store for a long period, pick them on the next day after the color changes.

Cultivation of Dragon fruit in Farm land

• Farmers can cultivate dragon fruit and get good profit.

• Farmers should have prepared a good well drained soil before plantation.

• Take a good plantation variety which should be high yielding and disease pest resistant.

• As this is a cactus plant and needs support to grow, suitable poles are to be installed in the main field.

• Dragon fruit plants can live upto 15 years so concrete poles are more suitable as wooden and iron poles may be damaged quickly.

• Spacing: Row to row 12 ft and pole to pole 6-8 ft in a row.

• An acre can accommodate 450-500 Poles and each pole can have up to 4 plants. An acre can hold anywhere between 1800 – 2000 plants.

• Farmers should install drip irrigation for watering and fertilizer application to the plants.

• All other cultural practices like pruning, disease pest management, pollination and harvesting are already discussed above.

Cost involved in Dragon fruit cultivation

• For cultivating Dragon fruit, the initial cost is high. It is nearly about 5-6 lakh rupees per acre for the first year.

• Poles are the main expensive investment in the farm. The cost involved for good quality poles installation is about 2-3 lakh rupees.

•  Running costs like fertigation, labour etc. costs nearly 50000 to 1 lakh rupees every year.

Profit from Dragon fruit cultivation

• The yield for the first year is less, it is around 500 kg per acre.From the second year farmers can get a yield of 15-20 kg per pole.

• So a farmer can get around 6-7 ton yield per acre.

• Retail selling price of Dragon fruits around 100-130 per Kg. So farmers can get 6-7 lakh or more from 1 acre.

• According to some market surveys, pink pulp Dragon fruit fetches more profit than white pulp Dragon fruit.

Drawbacks of growing Dragon fruit 

• Although Dragon fruit cultivation is profitable farming, it has some marketing drawbacks in India.

• So farmers should do a market survey and marketing contacts before cultivating Dragon fruit.

• Dragon fruit has great market demands in states like Maharasta, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, West Bengal, Gujarat etc.

• It is a low maintenance crop and can give yield upto 10-15 years so farmers definitely get good profit by Dragon fruit cultivation.

Conclusion

Hope this article provides some information about dragon fruit cultivation both in home gardens and in farmers' fields. It is a good ornamental plant and also has high market value with low maintenance.

So farmer’s may consider farming Dragon fruit to get more income.

Thank you.

So, let us start to know more about integrated farming system (IFS).

What is an Integrated Farming System(IFS) ?

• Integrated farming system is a systematic approach to combine different farm enterprises in a sustainable manner so that more income can be generated per unit area utilisation. 

• It is the integration of farm enterprises like cropping, dairy, poultry, fishery, agroforestry, nutrient recycling etc.

• According to the agro-climatic condition of the area, land availability, availability of farm resources and socio-economic status of farmers, different IFS models are there.

Advantages of Integrated Farming System(IFS)

1. More income per unit area utilization.

2. Recycling of farm organic waste.

3. Continuous supply of different farm produce to market at the right price.

4. Management of farm soil fertility in an organic manner.

5. Reduction of input cost by recycling of farm byproducts of different farm enterprises as mentioned above.

6. Continuous and stable income by marketing the farm produce like milk, egg, mushroom, honey, vegetables, fish etc. 

7. By the inclusion of biogas plant it will supplement farm household energy requirements.

8.  Due to agroforestry soil erosion can be managed and also supplemented for farm wood requirements.

9. BY cultivating fodder crops we can manage nutrient requirements for farm animals like cows, sheep, goats etc.

10. We can generate farm employment by this IFS.

Components of Integrated Farming System(IFS)

Main components of an integrated farming system are crops, farm animals and  trees. Which we should choose and arrange in a systematic manner that will supplement each other for their input requirements in growth and production. You should choose IFS components, which will suit local agro-climatic conditions like rainfall, temperature, soil type etc.

1. Crops- Crops can be chosen and cultivated in different sub-system like monocropping, mixed/intercropping, multi-tier cropping.

2. Animal components- Animal components can be taken as cow, goat, sheep, rabbit, honey bee, poultry, fish etc.

3. Trees- Tree components may be taken as timber plants, fruit trees etc.

According to two major soil types of our country we can choose different crops are as follows:

Food Crops

1. For Black Soil - Sorghum, Bajra, Maize, Greengram, Blackgram, Redgram, Soybean, Chickpea, Cotton, Sunflower, Safflower, Chillies, Coriander, Vegetable crops etc.

2. For Red Soil - Ragi, Sorghum, Greengram, Blackgram Cowpea, Sesame, Groundnut, Castor, Vegetable crops etc.

Fodder Crops

1. For Black Soil - Fodder millets like Sorghum and Bajra, Cowpea etc.

2. For Red Soil - Ragi, Bajra, Cowpea, Marvel grass, Spear grass etc.

Tree species 

1. For Black Soil - Neem, Casuarina, Acacia and fruit trees like Mango, Jackfruit etc.

2. For Red Soil - Neem, Casuarina, Tamarind, Simarouba, Amla, Anjan and different fruit trees etc.

Farm Animals and Birds

Cattle, Goat, Sheep, Rabbit, Poultry, Fish etc. 

From these farm animals you may select different breeds for more production.

Requirements for Integrated Farming System(IFS)

1. A good fertile soil

2. Abundant space and sunlight for different crops.

3. Water for irrigation and aquaculture.

4. Fertiliser ( You may install different types of compost pit inside your farm for organic fertiliser supply)

5. Good quality crop varieties and animal breeds for higher production.

6. Some farm machinery and tools. But make sure that fewer use these farm machinery in crop fields as this hampers soil fertility status.

7. A small farmhouse to store all farm equipment.

8. You may purchase a Laptop/Smartphone to use to calculate farm income/expenditure, know weather data, Agri news and contact with local vendors. 

Disadvantages of Integrated Farming System(IFS)

It's no doubt that IFS has lots of advantages for more farm income from unit land utilisation, but it also has some disadvantages which you should know before you proceed for IFS.

1. Number of activities are involved in IFS, proper monitoring and maintenance is required.

2. By not selecting a compatible IFS model it will affect farm income generation. 

3. Maintaining an IFS requires enough knowledge about cropping, animal husbandry and farm management.

Integrated Farming System Models

Different IFS models are there according to resource availability, agro climatic condition, socio-economic status of farmers and land availability. Farmers may choose a suitable IFS model accordingly.

Here are some examples of integrated farming system models (IFS Models)

1. Integrated Fish farming-cum vegetable farming

•  It supplements the household requirement of vegetables and fish and also for local market sale. 

• Vegetable crops that may be taken around the pond are Brinjal, Tomato, Lady’s finger, Cucumber, Pumpkin, Peas, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Palak, Beans etc.

• Fish should be taken as 30% bottom feeders (Ex- Mrigal, Murrail), 30% column feeders (Ex-Silver Carp, Rohu) and  40% surface feeders (Ex- Catla).

• Liming is required @200-300kg/ha/year for ponds depending upon soil and water condition.

• Trail netting should be done once in a month in the pond to check the size of fish and also any disease of fish. It also helps in oxygen mixing into water.

• Partial harvesting of fish should be done after they get a suitable size. The same quantity of fingerlings again should be supplied to the pond. Final harvesting to be done once in a year.

2. Integrated Fish farming-cum Duck Farming

• Ducks are good compatible with fish farming. Near about 100-150 ducks are enough for 1 hectare pond.

• Ducks keep the pond clean and also loosen the pond bottom soil and help in releasing essential nutrients from that soil which will increase pond productivity.

• Ducks aerated the pond water by their swimming. 

• Ducks manage most of their feeds from ponds by eating pond weeds, insects, worms, kitchen wastes etc.

3. Integrated Fish-cum Cattle Farming

• Cattle shed waste like cattle dung and urine having a good nutritional value for the pond.

• Construct the cattle shed near the pond so that the wastewater directly drains out to the pond

• You may take 5-7 Cattle for 1ha pond.

Like This other Integrated Farming System (IFS) models are as follows:

Integrated fish-cum-Chicken farming

Integrated Horticultural crops-fish-Poultry

Integrated Sericulture-Fish farming

Integrated Agricultural crops-Fish- Mushroom cultivation.

Conclusion

Hope this article may give a brief idea about integrated farming system (IFS) and some of its models. Thank you.