Dragon Fruit Cultivation

Dragon fruit or what we know with the dragon fruit has extraordinary properties, in addition to dragon fruit also has a promising business prospects if implemented seriously. In my article tries to trace all the ins and outs of fruit nag, ranging from processing and business prospects. 

Efficacy of dragon fruit 

Dragon fruit is usually consumed in the form of fresh fruit as relieving thirst, because in it contains high moisture content of about 90% of the weight of the fruit. It was pretty sweet because they contain sugar content reaches 13-18 briks. Dragon fruit can also be expressed in the form of juice, fruit juice, jam or candied maupu various forms of presentation in accordance with the taste.

Savor the dragon fruit is: 

lowering Blood Sugar Levels, regular consumption of a red dragon fruit (250 grams) every morning and evening for 8 days in a row can lower blood sugar levels in diabetics.
Smoothing Skin, According to Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yusuf an expert on traditional Chinese medicine, dragon fruit is believed to smooth the skin of the face that look more beautiful. Besides, dragon fruit is also good to overcome the heat in, because it is cool.
Inhibiting Tumor Cell Growth, Rosario Vargas Sols results from Laboratorio de Investigation de Fitofarmacologia Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana Xochimilco Mexico showed that chloroform extract from the leaves of the white flesh dragon fruit, contain a pentacyclic triterpene compound taraxast-20-ene-3a-ol and taraxast-12, 20 (30)-dien-3a-ol is shown to protect rabbit blood vessel flexibility. Researchers estimate the efficacy of both compounds were almost equal troxerutin one micro vascular protective drug on the market. The drug was efficacious to reduce the risk of rupture of blood vessels.
Improve endurance, according to AL Leong from Johncola Pitaya Food R & D, an organization that examines the dragon fruit red, fruit red dragon was quite rich with a variety of substances vitamins and minerals that are helpful in improving the durability and useful for metabolism in the human body. “Research shows red dragon fruit is excellent for the circulatory system, and can give the effect of reducing the emotional pressures and neutralize toxic in the blood.” Research also shows this fruit can prevent colon cancer, in addition to preventing high cholesterol content in the blood and reduce levels of fat in the body, “he said.
Here’s the full nutritional content of dragon fruit:

red dragon fruit by http://www.tanamtanaman.wordpress.com

Sugar content: 13-18 briks
Water: 90%
Carbohydrates: 11.5 g
Acid: 0.139 g
Protein: 0.53 g
Fiber: 0.71 g
Calcium: 134.5 mg
Phosphorus: 8.7 mg
Magnesium: 60.4 mg
Vitamin C: 9.4 mg

Processing 

Terms of plant growth 

Planted in the lowlands at an altitude of 20-100 m above sea level.
Clay soils do not contain high enough so that drainage is good (like the desired soil conditions cactus plants) with soil pH 5-7.
Water is available because these plants are sensitive to drought will rot if the excess water.
Requires full sun light irradiation to accelerate the process of disposal.
Land Preparation

For observation plantation house can use a wooden or concrete poles with size 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm with a height of 2 meters are plugged into the ground as deep as 50 cm.
A month before planting, advance planting hole made with size 40 x 40 cm with a spacing of 2 mx 2.5 m, so that in 1 there are about 2,000 hectares of tree planting hole Jaranan.
Each pillar is made 3-4 of the planting hole with a distance of about 30 cm from the support poles. Planting hole is then given a ripe manure around 5-10 kg mixed with soil.
Seed Preparation and Planting

How generative: to sow seeds of dragon fruit, this method is considered less efficient because until the seedlings took about 1.5 months. From seedling to bear fruit takes 4-5 years.
Vegetative way: through the plant stem cuttings. (Recommendations), Choose branch plants healthy and strong, then cut along the 25-30 cm, and then immediately planted in the prepared hole. To prepare the nursery, planting seeds of this candidate in polybags filled with planting medium. Candidates for these seeds put in the shade for 1 week, to reduce stress due to injuries pieces. After that candidate are transferred seedlings in a nursery that had been prepared. About 3 months and after the shoots emerge, ready to be marketed or planted.

Cultivation 

Planting must be considered in such a way as errors in the planting of crops can inhibit the growth process itself. A good planting depth is about 20% of the length of seedlings.For example seedlings will be planted between 40-80 cm in length, the depth of about 8-16 cm. Before planting the seedlings should be oiled Ridomil cuttings by 40 g mixed with 1 liter of water to prevent rot at the base terjadinnya stem cuttings.

dragon fruit by http://www.tanamtanaman.wordpress.com

Maintenance

Irrigation, irrigation systems on land adapted to the conditions of land, way of cropping, and procurement of existing water sources around the land. Could use a traditional way of irrigation is to use a trench as deep as 20 cm are made around the crop rows. Or can also use irrigation system pipe made in such a way as to drain the water in the entire plant. For the initial stage of growth, irrigation, 1-2 days. Keep the soil is always moist, but do not let the excess water because it will cause decay of plants.
Fertilization, Fertilizer plants provided is manure, with intervals of 3 months, the amount of 1 tin (50-10 kg) for early planting and increased to 2 tin, adjusted for the age of the plant.
Control Organisms intruder (OPT)

Land clearing or weed control should be done regularly so as not to interfere with plant growth. Avoid using chemicals (herbicides) because it feared would disrupt the per-akaran plants.

Pruning

Left main stem grows. After high reach pole buffer (about 2 meters) and then trimmed.Similarly, side shoots below the well trimmed. The new branch of the above will be retained grew elongated and curved downwards which will be flowering and fruiting.

Harvesting

After the crop was between 1.5 – 2 years will begin flowering and fruiting. Each harvesting have different intervals depending on soil conditions and pemilharannya.Fruit can be harvested when the reached the age of 50 days after anthesis.

In the first 2 years, each pillar is able to produce fruit 80-10 dragon fruit with weights ranging between 400-600 grams.

The biggest dragon fruit harvest season occurs in September to March.

Dragon fruit plants of productive age are between 15-20 years.

Marketing 

You can market the dragon fruit to local supermarkets, and traditional. To go further more, you can target foreign markets, to set quality standards to serve the export market is the fruit with an average weight of 500 grams / fruit, smooth and not speckled and the scales are still fresh, try to pack it with the best possible .

Marketing Facts dragon fruit

Until now almost all dragon fruit on the market Indonesia is imported fruit and not to 1% of domestic production. So your odds are still open is to supply domestic needs.

Business Prospects

Here’s one success story of one entrepreneur dragon fruit (Dragon Fruit) which the author quotes from various sources.

Warjimin, a businessman from Hamlet Dukuhan, Prampalan, Krikilan Masaran, Sragen.

He had three years of pioneering the cultivation of dragon fruits, danbsudah able to reap the benefits to hundreds of million rupiah. There are three variants of dragon fruit which he developed, including white flesh dragon fruit, dragon fruit dragon fruit red meat and red meat super.
at an early stage he was just trying to plant in an area of ​​1,000 m2. However, because the results are folded then he slowly expanding planting areas so far reached 5,000 m2.From a half-hectare area with a capacity of 5,000 rods meraij He was able to gain a minimum of Rp 200 million for a one-time harvest. For 5000 the average stem can produce 5 quintal of fruit per month or about 10 tons for each time the fruit season, which lasts every six months. Who’s selling price is currently stable in the position of Rp 25,000 per kg.

yellow dragon fruit by http://www.tanamtanaman.wordpress.com

Profit doubled

He further said that during this dragon fruit cultivation could not be separated from the middle-class business image. “With a capital of USD 50 million we could open the garden area of ​​1,000 m2 and can be planted with 1,000 stems. Within the first year was able to harvest with an initial production of about 2 tons or USD 50 million. Larger income would be obtained if it is able to sell seeds. If perbibitnya $ 20,000, and we are able to sell only 2000 seeds then we can already pocketed Rp 40 million. Benefits will continue to multiply in the next harvest in line with growth rates of plants up to a maximum limit of 25 years of age of the plant. If at the beginning of harvest, the stem can produce 2 kg of fruit, the second year would increase to 3 kg, 6 kg in his third year, fourth year up to 12kg in stable 24 kg after the fifth year. “One important maintenance is also easy. Hamanya risk of failure and attack is also very small, “he said.

Men who served as Head of Horticulture Department of Agriculture Sragen, Indonesian describesthe dragon fruit cultivation does not require a specific land. It’s just an open area is themost suitable location because these plants need adequate sunlight and free fromflooding. In addition to being a prospective business area, dragon fruit cultivation alsobrings other benefits namely as a means of agrotourism.