Ulimo lwe Dragon Fruit

©Ramon F Velasquez

Ulimo lwe Dragon fruit lwenziwa kwihlabathi lonke jikelele, apho khona imozulu ilungela ukulinywa kwe tropical cacti. Oku kuquka nelizwe loMzantsi Afrika, nalapho ukuthengiswa kwamanye amazwe kwesi siqhamo sikhulu sinamaxolo ahlabayo, siya sikhula nangakumbi. Ilizwe lase Vietnam lelona lizwe lihamba phambili ekuveliseni isiqhamo se dragon fruit, neyaziwa nge pitaya.

Ilinywa njani iDragon Fruit

iDragon fruit ingachuma ngcono xa itywalwe izi zithole.

Ezi zityao zikhowa ngumhlaba okwaziyo ukufunxa kakuhle amanzi nogalelwe umgquba. Kufanele umhlaba ubenemvula ezimalunga nama 400 mm ukuya kuma 1500 mm ubuncinane ngonyaka. Izityalo ezingama kwi 1 250 plants/ha zingalawuleka lula, ze ziqelelaniswe kangange 4 m x 2.5 m to 5 m x 2.5 m. Phofu ke kuxhomekeka ngoko buchule be trellis obusetyenzisiweyo.

Iziqu ezityebileyo ezithambileyo zingakhula zifikelele kubude obusisi 4 m, kwixesha ngalinye lokukhula. Ezi ziqu kufanele zibotshelelwe kwipali okanye kubuchule be trellis emalunga nama 1.8 m ubude. Iipali ezenziwe nge konkrethi zisetyenziswa kakhulu, kwaye izityalo ezintathu ukuya kwezine zingabotshelelwa kwipali enye. Oku kunceda ekubeni izityalo zingagobi okanye zilale ngokuye zikhula. 

Phantsi kwemeka zase Mzantsi Afrika, ingakumbi kwiingingqi ezinemvula ezingapantsi kwama 400 mm ngonyaka, ukunkcenkceshelwa kwe dragon fruit kuyakhuthazwa. Ukunkcnkceshela kungakhokelela kwiziqhamo ezikhulu.

iDragon fruit ikhula kakuhle emhlabeni nakwizichumiso ze foliar.

Ukusasazeka Kwembewu yeeNtyatyambo ze Dragon Fruit

Ezi ntyatyambo zinkulu zinuka kamnandi zidubula ubusuku obunye kuphela kwaye zichunyiswa/zandiswa kakhulu zizilwanyana zasebusuku ezifana namalulwane kunye namavivingane. Kufunyaniswe ukuba ukusasazeka kwe pholeni yentyatyambo ze dragon fruit kungakhokelela ekubeni neziqhamo zibe zikhulu. Kodwa, eMzantsi Afrika iinyosi zinegalelo ekusasazweni kwe pholeni nokwanda kwesiqhamo se dragon fruit. Iintyatyambo ziqala ukuvuleka ngentsimbi yesi 18:00 kuphela ze zivaleke ngeye 11:00 ngentsasa elandelayo. Oku kunika ixesha elaneleyo iinyosi ukuba zisebenzise lomthombo weentyatyambo uzele yi pholeni. Ezi ntyatyambo zingafikelela kuma 30cm ubukhulu, kwaye ziqulathe malunga ne 100 g ye pholeni. Ngoko ke ukudibanisa idragon fruit kunye nofuyo lweenyosi kungaba licebo elihle. Ukwenza oku kunganika nemivuzo eyongezelelweyo yepholeni, kucebisa uMax van Heerden we Dragon Fruit South Africa. 

Ukukhanya kunye nemozulu kukhuthaza ukudubula kweentyatyambo, kwaye idragon fruit idinga iiyure ezili 12-14 zokukhanya yonke imihla. Ngoko ke ukukhanya okwenziweyo kungasetyeniswa ukwandisa iintyatyambo. eMzantsi Afrika, oku kunzima kwaye kuxabisa imali eninzi. Zikhona ke kodwa iinzame zokukhanya okongezelelweyo kwi ndawo yase Amorentia Estate & Nursery kwiphondo lase Limpopo. Iiyure ezimbini ukuya kwezintathu zokukhanya okwenzelelweyo ziyasetyenziswa kumazwe (umz. Vietnam) apho kukho khona amafu nangethuba lase hlotyeni nto leyo iye isitthise ukukhanya kwelanga.

Izonakalisi Kunye neZifo ze Dragon Fruit

©Dragon Fruit SA

Izityalo ze Dragon fruit zinochuku kwilanga eligatsa kakhulu, iqabaka kunye nokunkcenkceshelwa kakhulu okanye umhlaba odame amanzi. Izilwanyana ezifana nemfuyo, iintaka kunye nee nkawu ziyasithanda esi siqhamo kunye namagqabi aso. Ezinye izityalo ze dragon fruit zikhuswa ngomnatha ukukhusela iziqhamo ezivuthwayo kwiintaka kunye nokonakaliswa yimvula enomoya. Eli cebo lokukhusa ngomnatha alisetyenziswa kakhulu eMzantsi Afrika. 

Uphando lwase Mzantsi Afrika lujolise kakhulu kulawulo lwezonakalisi nezifo ezichaphazela ulimo lwe dragon fruit.

Izonakalisi ziquka iimites, thrips, iimbovane, izinambuzane ezinamaqweqwe, imibungu, ooqongqothwane, amanyiki, iimpukane, slugs, eziqhamo kunye neempuku.

Izifo ze Dragon fruit ziquka ukubola kwesiqu, nokubizwa nge Anthracnose (sibangela izilonga ezibomvu-mdaka) kunye nokungunda okufana ne Fusarium spp. kunye ne Aspergillus spp. Ngaphezulu, dragon fruit iyathanda ukubhuzwa ziimpukane, ngoko ke oku kungancedwa kukuvuthela ngomoya oshushu ukuze zife namaqando azo ezi mpukane. 

Eyona ngxaki inkulu kwintengiso ye dragon fruit kwamanye amazwe kukuba iye ibenezivubeko okanye ibole ngenxa yoku vuthwa ngokugqithisileyo kwesiqhamo.

Ukuvunwa kwe Dragon Fruit

Njengokuba isiqhamo sisiya sikhula, siqala ukutshintsha umbala kwiintsuku ezingama 26-30 emva kokuvela kwaso. Kufanele ukuba sele sikulungele ukuvunwa kwiintsuku ezimalunga nama 30 ukuya kuma 34, iintsuku nje ezimbalwa emva kokuba isiqhamo sitshintshe umbala.

Enye into esiqapheleka ngayo esi siqhamo ukuba sivuthiwe ngumbala wamaxolo, ii-asidi kuny neqondo le swekile (nelimetwa nge ºBrix) kodwa umlinganiselo olungileyo phakathi kwe asidi kunye neswekile uqinisekisa incasa emnandi, kutsho uHoward Blight wase Amorentia Estate & Nursery kwiphondo lase Limpopo.

Emva kokuvunwa ngesandla, esi siqhamo siyahlanjwa ngesibulali ntsholongwane esilungele ukutya, sipakishwe ngobukhulu nobunzima. Esi siqhamo siye sibekwe nangomonakalo, ofana ne mbovane okanye iimpukane zeziqhamo, ukushwabana, umbala wamaxolo kwakunye nombala nobume bamaqweqwe.

Izityalo zithwala iziqhamo emva kweminyaka emibini zityaliwe, kwaye zibe sezivelisa rhoqo kwiminyaka emihlanu. Kuxhomekeka kwintlobo yesityalo kunye nesimo sezithole, kungalindeleka isivuni esili 15 ukuya kwi 35 toni/ha.

iDragon Fruit Emva Kokuvunwa

I-dragon fruit eungiselelwe intengiso kwamanye amazwe ingafakwa kwiminatha emhlophe ethambiley ye polystyrene, efanayo naleyo kufakwa kuyo iipapaya, isongelwe ngephepha, ze zipakishwe kwii bokisi ezimbaca. Ukuze zidweliswe ezivenkileni, ezi ziqhamo zingaphakishwa ngobuninzi obufikelela kwi 10kg ubunzima.

I-dragon fruit ingahlala kangange veki ezimbini ukuba igcinwe kumaqondo amalunga ne 10ºC. Ukuthengiselwa kwamanye amazwe, esi siqhamo kufanele sigcinwe kumaqondo amalunga ne 3ºC ukuya kuma 5ºC ukuze sihlale silungile kangange ntsuku ezingama 27 kunye nama 42.

Obona bushushu bulungileyo buphakathi kwama 85% - 90%. Ingahlala ixesha elide ngokuthi igcinwe endaweni enamaqondo aphantsi, nalawulekayo. Kodwa ke iingxowa ezinamaqondo aphantsi nazo zingalandisa ixesha lesi siqhambo, ukufikelela kwiintsuku ezingama 42.

Ukuba idragon fruit ivuthwe kakhulu, umzekelo ikwinqanaba lesi 3, ingakhanywa kwenziwe ngayo ijusi, nenokusetyenziwa ukuvelisa izinto ezifana newayini, imiqwayito yeziqhamo kunye neejem. Iindawo zokutya ezifana ne Kauai kunye ne Starbucks zisebenzisa idragon fruit ukwenza iziselo ezinqimbilili-smoothies kunye neziselo ezibandayo.

Translated by Zizipho Silwana