Abstract

The objective was to compare plant height and sprout production in pitahaya (Hylocereus sp.), and its relationship with climatic variables, in San Ignacio and Amarilla varieties. The trial was conducted in San Mateo, Alajuela, Costa Rica, from February 2017 to December 2019. Tested variables were: plant height (PH, in cm), number of vegetative sprouts (NVS), number of reproductive sprouts (NRS), rainfall (R, in mm), relative humidity (RH, in %), average temperature (Ta, in °C), maximum temperature (Tmax, in °C), and minimum temperature (Tmin, in °C). There were no significant differences in PH and NRS between both varieties; however, NVS was significantly higher for San Ignacio variety (0.40) compared to Amarilla variety (0.20), which could indicate a better adaptation of San Ignacio variety to the conditions in which the trial was carried out. The reproductive sprouts occurred only during the rainy season; in 2018 and 2019, Amarilla variety showed two main flowering cycles per year, while San Ignacio variety showed three cycles per year.

Keywords Phenology; climate; rainfall; temperature; relative humidity