Profundidade de plantio e dominância apical na estaquia de pitaia vermelha

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of planting depth and breaking apical dominance on cutting of red pitaya Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britton & Rose. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with four replications in a 2x3 factorial, with two kinds of cuttings (with or without apical dominance), cutting not sectioned and sectioned at 5 cm from the upper portion, and three planting depths (1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 cm) and each plot consisted of ten 20 cm long cuttings. After 60 days of planting, counts of the number of shoots were began weekly and 90 days after planting survival rooting, number and length of shoots, dry weight of shoots and root dry mass were evaluated. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and polynomial regression at 5% significance level. The percentage of rooting and the survival were 100% in all treatments. With increasing depth of planting it was observed linear reduction in numbers of shoots, dry weight of shoot and root dry mass. The cladodes with apical dominance had longer shoots. The planting of red pitaya cuttings at 1 cm of planting depth with apical dominance is more suited to the production of nursery plants.