Differential growing media combined with indole butyric acid enhances the rooting and growth of Dragon fruit cladode cuttings under agro-climatic conditions of Faisalabad
Keywords:
Cladodes cuttings, Compost, Epiphytic, Peat mass, QualityAbstract
The growth of dragon fruit is notably slow and limited due to various environmental, cultural, and biological factors. Poor drainage and waterlogged soil are the predominant causes, as the plant's shallow roots are particularly susceptible to rot in heavy or saturated media, hindering nutrient uptake and root development. It has flexible epiphytic characteristics and shallow root system requiring aeration. Therefore, this research focused on evaluating the impact of various growing media compositions combined with indole butyric acid (IBA) on the rooting and growth of dragon fruit cladode cuttings. The experiment had ten treatment combinations of growth medium combined with IBA, including a control, each replicated three times in a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD). Good Soil + Silt + Compost + Peat mass 2: 2: 1: 1 + IBA 1000 ppm treatment exhibited higher survival rate, plant height, number of cladodes and cladodes length, number of roots, root length, root fresh weight, root dry weight and root volume attributes in dragon fruit cv. ‘American Beauty’ as compared to control treatment under agro-climatic conditions of Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. In conclusion among treatments, Good Soil + Silt + Compost + Peat mass 2: 2: 1: 1 + IBA 1000 ppm provide significant insights for enhancing dragon fruit production, assisting commercial growers in attaining superior yields and quality.
References
Anagha, P. K., Prakasha, D. P., Anand, N., Vijay, M., Ryavalad, S., & Sree, M. R. (2025). Enhancing Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus undatus) Propagation Efficiency through Growing Media. International Journal of Economic Plants, 12(1), 1-5.
Arivalagan, M., Karunakaran, G., Roy, T. K., Dinsha, M., Sindhu, B. C., Shilpashree, V. M., Satisha, G. C., & Shivashankara, K. S. (2021). Biochemical and nutritional characterization of dragon fruit (Hylocereus species). Food Chemistry, 353, 129426.
Barrett, G. E., Alexander, P. D., Robinson, J. S., & Bragg, N. C. (2016). Achieving environmentally sustainable growing media for soilless plant cultivation systems: A review. Scientia Horticulturae, 212, 220-234.
Bhardwaj, R. (2014). Effect of growing media on seed germination and seedling growth of papaya cultivar Red lady. African Journal of Plant Science, 8(4), 178-184.
Blythe, E. K., Sibley, J. L., Tilt, K. M., & Ruter, J. M. (2007). Methods of auxin application in cutting propagation: A review of 70 years of scientific discovery and commercial practice. Journal of Environmental Horticulture, 25(3), 166-185.
Chongloi, L., Gunnaiah, R., Hipparagi, K., Guranna, P., Prakasha, D. P., Chittapur, R., & Kamble, A. (2023). Optimization of low-cost potting mixture for hardening of in vitro raised plants of dragon fruit. Journal of Applied Horticulture, 25(3), 286-290.
Elobeidy, A. A. (2006). Mass propagation of pitaya (dragon fruit). Fruits, 61, 313–319.
Frick, E. M., & Strader, L. C. (2018). Roles for IBA-derived auxin in plant development. Journal of Experimental Botany, 69(2), 169-177.
Garcia-Correa, O., Alcantar, G., Cabrer, R., Gavi, F., & Volke, V. (2001). Growing media alternatives for ornamental plant production in Central Mexico. Horticulture Science, 3(6), 592-593.
Hartmann, H. T., Kester, D. E., Davies Jr, F. T., & Geneve, R. L. (2010). Hartmann & Kester's Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices (8th Ed.). Pearson.
Hayat, A., Muhammad, A., Tehseen, A., Ehsan-Ul-Haque, Rabia, Z., Maryam, N., Ahmed, R., Fahim, K., Sohaib, A., & Shafqat, A. (2023). Impact of different potting media on growth of rough lemon (Citrus Jambhiri Lush). Journal of Innovative Sciences, 9(1), 154-162.
Joshi M., & Prabhakar B. (2020). Phytoconstituents and pharmaco-therapeutic benefits of pitaya: A wonder fruit. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 44, e13260.
Kakade, V., Jinger, D., Dinesh, G., Singh, G., Bhatnagar, P. R., Pande, V. C., Jat R. A., & Singh, A. K. (2021). Nursery and propagation techniques of dragon fruit. Technical report; ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Research Centre, Anand, Gujarat, 1-2.
Ludhers, P., & Rimon, D. (2002). Hylocereus undatus (Cactaceae) An underutilized fruit crop. In Janick, J. & Whipkey, A. (Eds.), Trends in new crops and new uses. ASHS Press, 433-436.
Minz, V. (2021). Effect of different plant growth regulators and media on shooting of stem cuttings in dragon fruit. The Pharma Innovation Journal, 10(8), 330-332.
Mizrahi, Y., & Nerd, A. (1999). Climbing and columnar cacti: New arid land fruit crops. Perspectives on New Crops and New Uses, 1, 358-366.
Padakatti, T., & Meti, R. (2020). The wonderous fruit-dragon fruit & its health benefits. International Journal of Agriculture and Nutrition, 2(2), 11-12.
Rymbai, H., Verma, V. K., Talang, H., Devi, M. B., & Mawlein, J. (2025). Higher propagation and nutrient use efficiency of cladode cuttings in dragon fruit (Hylocereus costaricensis) due to the effect of substrates and growth regulators. Discover Plants, 2(1), 282. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44372-025-00363-5
Rahad, M. K., Islam, M. A., Rahim, M. A., & Monira, S. (2016). Effects of rooting media and varieties on rooting performance of dragon fruit cuttings (Hylocereu sundatus Haw.). Research in Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries, 3(1), 67-77.
Raviv, M., & Lieth, J. H. (2008). Soilless Culture: Theory and Practice. Elsevier, USA.
Saleh, S. (2000). Effect of different planting media on the growth and chemical composition of Ficus benjamina “Starlight” plants grown under two locations “outdoor and plastichouse” conditions. Egyptian Journal of Horticulture, 27(4), 543-568.
Sarwar, G., Anwar, T., Qureshi, H., Younus, M., Hassan, M. W., Sajid-ur-Rehman, M., Khalid, F., Faiza, Zaman, W., & Soufan, W. (2024). Optimizing germination: comparative assessment of various growth media on dragon fruit germination and early growth. BMC Plant Biology, 24(1), 533. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-024-05247-6
Sudarjat, Isnaniawardhani, V., & Mubarok, S. (2018). Different growing media effect on the cutting quality of two dragon fruit species (Hylocerues sp.). Journal of Agronomy, 17, 174–179.
Supriya, B., & Singh, R. (2024). Effect of auxin and media for rooting of different fruit crop cuttings: A review. International Journal of Research in Agronomy, 7(7), 687-691.
Tani, M., Panigrahi, H. K., Sarkar, A., Thakur, G., & Tahelyani, R. (2021). Studies on the effect of different growing media on survivability, root and shoot growth of dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus L.) cuttings. The Pharma Innovation Journal, 10(9), 1497-1503.
Zainudin, S. R. M., Razak, S. A., & Ibrahim, N. (2018). Effect of planting media and hormone concentration on the growth of dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) cuttings. International Journal of Agronomy, 1, 1-5.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
All articles published by JPAA are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . This permits anyone to copy, redistribute, transmit and adapt the work provided the original work and source is appropriately cited as specified by the Creative Commons Attribution License.
