Dragon fruit (Kamalam): An excellent exotic fruit crop of India

Abstract

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) is one of the exotic fruit grown across the world. Fruit has very attractive colour and mellow mouth melting pulp with black colour seed embedded in the pulp along with tremendous nutritive property which attract the growers from different part of India to cultivate this fruit crop which is originated in Mexico and Central & South America. It is a long day plant with beautiful night blooming flower that is nick named as “Noble Woman” or “Queen of the Night”. Fruit is named as pitaya because of the bracts or scales on the fruit skin and hence the name of pitaya means ‘‘the scaly fruit’’. Pitaya fruit is the most nutritious and wonderful exotic fruits. It is a favorite to many, particularly people of Asian origin. There are four types dragon fruit based on their colour. 1. Hylocereus undatus i.e., red colour fruit with white colour flesh. 2. Hylocereus polyrhizus i.e., red colour fruit with red colour flesh. 3. Hylocereus megalanthus i.e., yellow colour fruit with white colour flesh. 4. Hylocereus costaricencis i.e., pink colour fruit with violet red colour flesh.