PITAYA (STENOCEREUS SPP, CACTACEAE) - AN ANCIENT AND MODERN FRUIT CROP OF MEXICO

Pitayas from various species were an important edible fruit in semiari d lands of tropical and subtropical Mexico in ancient times. Recently, farmers have been cultivating plants selected from the wild, such as Stenocereus queretaroensis in the Sayula Basin of Jalisco. These cacti can flower and produce fruit before the onset of the summer rainy per iod. Their fruits have an attractively colored pulp (often dark red) w ith digestible seeds and without the nasty glochids found on cactus pe ars. The sugar content is 10 to 11%. The shelf life is only a few days , as the fruits tend to dehisce longitudinally. Pitayas bring a compet itive price in local markets, resulting in a substantial financial ret urn with relatively low inputs of water, fertilizer, and pesticides.