Estudo da omissão de nutrientes minerais na propagação in vitro de pitaya

The pitaya (Hylocereus undatus), also called “dragon fruit”, is a peculiar plant and is becoming an increasingly common fruit among Brazilians. There are still few studies on fertilization and mineral nutrition, especially those related to the identification of visual symptoms of nutrient deficiency. Tissue culture is a Biotechnology tool that allows the carrying out of studies omitting nutrients from the culture medium in order to understand the behavior of seedling growth under this condition. This research aimed to study the growth and visually diagnose macro and micronutrient deficiencies in pitaya in vitro culture. Seedlings initially pre-established in vitro in MS medium were subcultured in MS medium with the omission of the desired nutrients for each analysis. Variables such as seedling height, number of shoots, explant colors (visual diagnosis of nutritional deficiency) and viability were evaluated. Note that the pitaya cladodes that had the omission of potassium, calcium, zinc, cobalt and manganese in the medium of complete solution, presented a smaller growth in relation to the other nutrients.