Why does red dragon fruit crack open as soon as it ripens?
Why does red dragon fruit crack open as soon as it ripens? Please explain the causes and control methods. The dragon fruit plant is currently entering its peak flowering period. Its flowers generally begin to open 1 to 1.5 hours before sunset, and after dawn the corolla gradually closes, then withers after the sun rises. During this period, the flowers complete the process of self-pollination...
Why does red dragon fruit crack open as soon as it ripens? Please explain the causes and control methods
The dragon fruit plant is currently entering its peak flowering period. Its flowers generally begin to open 1 to 1.5 hours before sunset, and after dawn the corolla gradually closes, then withers after the sun rises. During this period, the flowers complete the process of self-pollination. But at present there is continuous heavy rain and torrential rain, and less sunlight; these factors are extremely unfavorable to the pollination and fertilization of dragon fruit. For example, heavy rain dilutes the mucus on the female stigma and washes away the liquid of the male anthers, and if the flowers fail to complete fertilization, they will inevitably wither and drop. In addition, because there is a lot of rain at present, the plant absorbs relatively more water, so the speed at which the flesh develops and swells is out of sync with the speed at which the peel grows, and therefore fruit cracking also increases. To overcome the above unfavorable factors, protected cultivation is needed, such as growing in a light-transmitting medium-sized greenhouse. If grown in the open field, when conditions unfavorable to the plant's flowering, pollination and fertilization, or unfavorable factors regarding water, light and so on for the plant appear, it is difficult to ensure stable, high and quality yields.
It is suggested that you cover the soil with plastic film as much as possible to reduce the soil's water content and keep the soil moisture as uniform as possible; when the weather clears, spray the plants with 0.04PPM brassinolide to improve the plants' stress resistance; use manual supplementary pollination, and before the flowers fade in the early morning, use a brush to collect pollen and gently stroke it onto the female stigma; since the peak flowering periods of dragon fruit are generally from late June to early July, from late August to early September, and from mid-to-late September to early October, it is suggested that pollination and fruit-setting management be strengthened in the following periods to make up for the temporary losses currently occurring.
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