DRAGON FRUIT SILICON TECHNOLOGY

POTENTIAL OF SILICON NUTRIENT IN REDUCING FUNGAL DISEASE IN RED-FLESHED DRAGON FRUIT are report released by a group of scientists from University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) few years ago. However below are the report abstracts from their finding. Dragon fruit has a high market value and widely cultivated in many places in Malaysia. Nowadays, the dragon fruit plants are severely infected by fungal diseases causing economic loss to many farmers. This study was carried out to evaluate the potential of silicon treatments in reducing disease incidence and disease severity in dragon fruit plants. For this purpose, three silicon concentrations namely 1.5, 2.5 and 5.0 ml/L were applied as root treatment. Control plant was only irrigated with tap water. Occurrence of disease incidence and disease severity were recorded starting from planting until harvesting period and was later calculated. After harvest the silicon accumulation in both stems and fruits was determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Based on the results, plants treated with T3 showed lower disease incidence and disease severity as compared to the other treatments and control. Average silicon accumulations in stems ranged between 28.10 ppm to 42.22 ppm, and between 110.59 ppm to 198.28 ppm in the fruits. A substantial response has been observed on uptake of silicon in reducing disease severity in dragon fruit plants. Thus, the application of silicon nutrient could help to improve plant defence mechanism in many agricultural crops in which could become a good strategy in controlling the diseases. For detail report better ask the scientist at UMT. 

From my observation regarding the dragon fruit major Diseases of Dragon especially on Fruit, Stem rot caused by Fungus and Bacteria. It is caused by either a bacterium or a fungus infection. It appears as yellowing and rotting of the stem and blades, caused by Xanthomonas and Erwinia, bacteria, or the Colletotrichum known as a fungus. It appears as redding-brown lesions with the center of the lesions becoming white. Spraying with a copper fungicide, mancozeb, and/or metalaxyl product certified for the crop and suitable for the pathogen in weekly intervals can control the infection and protect the plants. Moreover, farmers are advised to prune and destroy the infected plant parts.Stem and Fruit Canker (Neoscytalidium dimidiatum). This fungal disease is the most prevailing in South Florida. Severe problems on dragon fruit plantations have been reported in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North America. The symptoms on the stem with sunken chlorotic spots with a tiny orange center. The sports will turn into larger, convex, orange to reddish-brown sports, which often coalesce to form large brown lesions. The recommendation to control this disease is to maintain cleanliness. The goal of the sanitation program are:To keep the pathogen population at a low level by removing and destroying diseased stems. To increase airflow and fungicide penetration within the canopy. Thanks...

By,

M Anem,

Putrajaya,

Malaysia.

(October 2023).