Dragon fruit
Pitaya, or dragon fruit is a climbing cacti which produces an edible fruit. The Australian industry is located in Queensland, northern New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Information on current partnerships and research activities with the dragon fruit growers.
Dragon-fruit industry development in the Northern Territory
The Australian emerging tropical fruits strategic RD and E plan listed a lack of local agronomy information as a key issue for this industry. Other critical gaps identified by industry are the need for new genetics (sweeter varieties).
This project will establish a range of 35 dragon fruit varieties at Coastal Plains Research Farm in order to identify suitable varieties for commercial production in the Northern Territory conditions.
Plants will be assessed on their potential for commercial production in terms of time to maturity, yield, fruit appearance, and quality (sweetness, acidity etc.).
This planting will also provide the basis for research and extension into the agronomy of dragon fruit in the NT, addressing two of the critical gaps for this industry.
Funding body
This is an internally funded project.
Objectives
- Source and establish 30+ pitaya varieties in a field trial.
- Assess the growth and yield of different varieties.
- Assess the fruit quality for the purpose of commercial production.
- Engage with the local industry to extend information on agronomy.
Further information
- 2024 project flyer
- current dragon-fruit industry in the Australian emerging tropical fruits strategy RD&E plan (2021), funded by AgriFutures Australia, by Greg Owens
- new opportunities in new and emerging agricultural industries in Australia (2017) in the AgriFutures funded report by Coriolis
- new opportunities 2020: the next wave (2020) in the AgriFutures funded report by Coriolis.
Useful links
Contact
PhD support: Establishing Industry Standards and the Competitive Advantages of Australian Grown Dragon Fruit (Selenicereus undatus)
The Federal Government allows fresh, imported dragon fruit into Australian markets. These imports have the potential to significantly impact local dragon fruit industry.
This Central Queensland University (CQU) PhD research project investigates the differences between local and imported dragon fruit through food chemistry. The work analyses physical appearance, nutritional compounds, shelf life and food safety hazards to generate a nutrient profile of the dragon fruit as well as provide a scientific guideline for establishing industry standards and labelling.
Funding body and partners
This project is funded by the CRC for Developing Northern Australia and a CQU Elevate Scholarship,
The project is supported through the collaboration of DAF NT.
Useful links
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