Pitaya (Hylocereus spp) como alternativa de renda para produtores familiares de fruticultura na região Oeste do Pará

Abstract

The sustained development of the rural environment can make a difference in the maintenance of the family producer in the West region of Pará, where fruit growing generates income and employment in the field and can be an alternative for the small producer. Pitaya has taken a prominent position due to its rusticity, low cost of implantation and high market value. This study aimed to identify and diagnose the cultivation of pitaya in family production units as a potential for the development of fruit growing, to understand how the introduction of pitaya cultivation in family farming in the municipality of Santarém is taking place. Origin of the seedlings, cultivation and management techniques and the challenges and perspectives that these farmers have in relation to the pitaya culture and to evaluate the vegetative development of pitaya seedlings Hylocereus costaricensis cultivated in different doses of fertilization with substrates of organic matter (acai pits ), in an area of family farming, in the western region of Pará. The methodology used to carry out the diagnosis was a quali-quantitative approach with the application of a questionnaire with closed questions, descriptive objectives. The procedure was field research and/or submission of google forms in cases that required social distancing. As inclusion criteria were considered, family production unit and pitaya. The results provide an understanding of the pitaya production chain, revealing that the culture is present in small production units. Without defined cultivation techniques and specialized nurseries in the region, producers share information and genetic material. The variety that stands out among those cultivated is Roxa do Pará, Hilocereus costaricense, in about 95% of the production units. Most of the fruits are sold on the property, the cost of implanting the orchard varies according to the materials used, a large part of the implantation costs are alleviated with the reuse of existing materials on the property, it was also evidenced that the lack of fruit is still common. specific fertilizer recommendations for the crop, as well as phytosanitary information, but most producers intend to expand the planted area and see great potential in the cultivation of the fruit. To evaluate the vegetative development of the seedlings, an experiment was implemented in a family production unit in the Planalto Santareno microregion, with different doses of açaí seed vegetable substrate, where the control treatment without substrate, the other treatments with increasing doses of substrate 2, 5 L, 5 L, 10 L, 20 L and 40 L, which were evaluated at 0, 90, 180, 270 and 360 days through the analysis of plant growth. The results indicated that the most suitable fertilizer with organic substrate of açaí for the beginning of pitaya planting is 20 liters of substrate in a ridge of 100 liters, where the plants presented better development with better cost benefit.