Location of pitahaya (Selenicereus spp.) accesses in Cuba through participatory plant breeding

Abstract

The pitahaya (Selenicereus spp.) is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In Cuba with the arrival of the colonizers it had already been introduced, although it is found wild, there are few studies carried out and its use in the national territory is minimal. The objective of this research was to locate and identify pitahaya plant material, to enrich the Germplasm Bank of the UCTB (Scientific and Technological Base Unit) – Alquízar, promote cultivation and contribute to the increase in the diversity of fruit trees in the country. Through the virtual national contest for participatory breeding of pitahaya accessions, more than 200 people were randomly surveyed and the GPS Cuba offline was used to locate the reported accessions. It was possible to locate more than 154 accessions, in 71 areas of the Cuban geography (38.03 % in the West, 39.44 % in the Center and 22.54 % in the East of the country), and identify the predominant species, some of them not yet reported in Cuba such as Selenicereus megalanthus and Selenicereus undatus subsp luteocarpus. The presence of various genotypes in terms of sizes, colors and shapes was confirmed, some of which were prospected for establishment in collection. The work allowed us to identify five promising genotypes and five producers who practiced cultivation as an economic activity. With the experience, a participatory breeding strategy was drawn up to satisfy the short and medium term demand for cultivars, in order to diversify agriculture.