Influence of different shadenets on sunburn & fruiting in dragon fruit

Dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) is a perennial climbing cactus that belongs to the family cactaceae and known by various names like kamlam or Strawberry pear. Sunburn injuries are strongly related to heat stress encountered by many (80-95%) dragon fruit producers across India. Sunburn not only reduces photosynthetic efficiency of plants but also enhances chances of disease incidence and ultimately renders poor fruit quality. Shade nets are commonly employed in crop production to protect crops from solar radiations thus improves crop health and fruit quality. To control sunburn, different kinds of dragon fruit species (H. undatus and H. polyrhizus) should be grown under shade nets with varying degrees of shading. It generates a partially controlled environment by reducing the amount of light and effective temperature reaching crops placed beneath it during the day. To maximise plant output and produce the greatest possible microclimate, the ideal shade colour and degree of shade factor must be chosen. Therefore, standardization of shade net colour and shade percentage is essential for different genotypes grown in our country in general and region in particular.