Dragon fruits

THERE’S another fruit that's making waves in the market now. Actually sometime ago. Three or more years? I could not exactly remember the date, but my first taste of the fruit was from the garden of one of my radio program listeners, Antonio Noblezada of Hacienda Lacson in Brgy. Palaka Valladolid.

I saw the article about it in Agriculture magazine and aired the subject in my ‘technology update’ segment of “Ang Panguma” program. Then my listener called me and let me taste his variety of the dragon fruit. 

If you buy the fruit per kilo now, it's P220 at Robinsons.

The one I tasted first from Nong Tony’s backyard was like that in the supermarket of Robinsons. His variety was brought by his seaman son from abroad. That was some years ago.

Then last July, my friend invited me to their family farm that she supervises and there, I saw another variety of dragon fruit. She planted it in June 2010. The distance she used is 2.5 meters by 8 meters, at 10 plants per row and 4 plants per post. She has a total of 240 old plants and 96 new ones. That how large her area for dragon fruit plantation.

Hers is the white variety. The plant bears flower if you use the matured planting material after a year. Flowering season once the plants are established starts in April towards October. 

I learned that dragon fruit is another versatile fruit that is a high-value commercial crop. It's another favorite of health-conscious people nowadays.

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