Potentiality of dragon fruit for climate resilience and nutritional security: a critical review

Abstract

Major concerns in view of global issues including population increase, climate change, food insecurity and declining cultivable land are ones of expansion. Ensuring nutritional security and helping to mitigate the consequences of climate change depend much on horticultural crops. Resilient and with low water requirements, dragon fruit is one that stands out as capable of surviving in arid and semi-arid environments. Furthermore, emphasized by the nutritional profile of dragon fruit are important minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. While malnutrition is still a worldwide problem, especially in underdeveloped nations, including nutrient-dense foods like dragon fruit into diets has promise to improve nutritional security. The review article discusses about the dragon fruits taxonomy, botany, cytogenetics, diversity, nutritional composition, cultivation practices, management, economics and genomic resources for molecular marker development and utilize in molecular breeding. Also includes market dynamics and the challenges of dragon fruit growing and use. Moreover, it draws attention to the social consequences of increasing dragon fruit farming, especially in regions vulnerable to effects of climate change. In addition, the article highlights the potential of dragon fruit as a nutritionally rich crop with great consequences for world food security as a climate-resilient one.