The benefits and nutrition of pitaya to human body
Every hundred grams of pitaya pulp contains 83.75g of water, 0.34g of ash, 0.017g of crude fat, C5.22g of crude protein, 0.21g of crude fiber and 3.91g of carbohydrate. Calcium 6.3-8.8 mg, phosphorus 30.2-36. 1 mg, iron 0.55-0.65 mg, a large number of anthocyanins (the most abundant variety in red fruits), water-soluble dietary protein, plant albumin, etc. Pitaya is sweet, and its main nutrients are protein, dietary fiber, vitamins B2, B3, C, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. Its peak period is from June to 165438+ 10. It is planted all over Taiwan Province Province, and the main producing areas are Hsinchu, Yunlin and Chiayi.
From the analysis of modern scientific research, the measuring ruler and pitaya do have many beneficial ingredients for human beings, and there are more elements to promote health, beauty, disease prevention and physical fitness. Since the middle of last century, pitaya has been planted on a large scale in Asia and Latin America. At the beginning of this century, the planting area in Asia has advanced by leaps and bounds, and the corresponding scientific research has also developed rapidly around the world. We believe that measuring ruler and pitaya will bring more ideals to mankind.
The unique mucus of pitaya's branches and flowers, because of its extremely low osmotic pressure, contains a lot of nutrients and therapeutic substances, and has remarkable curative effect. Pitaya has the functions of preventing constipation, promoting eye health care, increasing bone density, helping cell membrane formation, preventing anemia and neuritis, angular stomatitis, reducing cholesterol, whitening skin, preventing dark spots, relieving heavy metal poisoning, resisting free radicals, preventing senile diseases, losing weight and preventing colorectal cancer. The latest research results show that the juice of pitaya and its branches has a positive effect on tumor growth, virus and immune response inhibition.
Legend of pitaya
Measuring ruler is a tropical plant of cactus, which is native to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Barama, Ecuador, Cuba, Colombia and other places in Central America. It is not only famous for its longevity, tenacity and beauty, but also an excellent source of nutrition and beauty. According to local legends, the measuring ruler is a powerful symbol of nutrition. An Aztec legend describes in detail how powerful the measuring ruler is for women. When a poor Aztec woman got lost in the hot desert, she couldn't call for help, and the situation was very dangerous. She fell into despair, dying, and slowly entered another world in illusion ... The voice told her to eat the plants next to her quickly! Eat the plants around you! She struggled to stretch out her hand to touch it, but she couldn't open her eyes. She just imagined that there were scattered and stretched rulers around her. There are few other plants in this particularly hot desert. She saw flashing red light in the illusion, dotted with pitaya between the scales measured, like handfuls of burning hunting, and her beating heart was shouting, inspiring her to stick to it! A breeze, millions of young beauties came running to her with huge lilies! ..... In the dream, her hand touched a blow, and she felt groups of swaying fairies and clusters of brilliant flowers changing alternately in front of her eyes, like a thick green ruler. When she magically pulled it, it broke, and her hand was bloody, but she felt no pain. She seemed to be guided by a magical force, mechanically biting this thick ruler. The Aztec woman woke up, her physical strength recovered rapidly, and her almost chapped lips became magically rosy, gradually spreading all over her body like waves, and she walked out of the desert smoothly!
The legend of this Aztec woman has been handed down from generation to generation. The measuring ruler is regarded as fairy grass, and pitaya is also called fairy fruit and honey fruit. No matter its branches, flowers, fruits and roots, it has become an indispensable special crop for local people and has unique medicinal and edible functions. As a sacred symbol, pitaya is respected by the world, and this tradition later spread all over the world with the invasion and expansion of European colonialism. Pitaya belongs to the upper class in the edible plant fruits of human beings, which implies many beautiful ideals of human beings, such as auspiciousness, health, wealth and longevity. Whether visiting relatives and friends or visiting patients, there must be a dragon fruit in the center of the fruit basket you carry with you, which indicates many good wishes. Both national leaders and ordinary people can't do without pitaya when they worship their ancestors. ...
The origin of pitaya
Pitaya is native to the tropical rain forest of Central America and belongs to Ranunculaceae. It was introduced to Southeast Asian countries such as Viet Nam, Thailand and Taiwan Province Province of China by French and Dutch. Pitaya has a deep historical origin with religious culture. Pitaya is planted near the Mayan and Inca pyramids in America and next to Vietnamese temples in Asia. Whenever there are sacrifices and major religious activities, they will sacrifice pitaya as a sacred fruit on the altar. What is even more surprising is that pitaya has an indissoluble bond with loong culture in the United States and Asia. The ancient Incas sacrificed pitaya with totems engraved with dragon images. This totem and pitaya both mean dragon in Inca. Even today, indigenous Mexican men like to call themselves China boys, which may be influenced by the legend that their ancestors came to the United States from China.
Cultivation of pitaya
Pitaya is a tropical and subtropical fruit with simple cultivation techniques. Sexual preference is warm and humid, and yin tolerance is barren. The optimum growth temperature is 25~35℃, but it can be planted in the open air with the annual minimum temperature higher than 5℃. The requirements for soil are not strict, and it can be cultivated in flat land, paddy field, hillside and dry land. It grows well in fertile, well-drained neutral or slightly acidic sandy red soil or loam, with aerial roots, developed roots and vigorous vitality. Propagation methods mainly include cutting and grafting. When planting, the row spacing is generally 6~7m, the plant spacing is 3~4m, 3~4 plants per hole, and 24 ~ 38 holes per 666.7m2 ... In the management process, apply some organic fertilizer appropriately, pay attention to irrigation in hot and dry summer, pay attention to drainage in rainy days, prevent water accumulation and avoid bacterial and fungal infection. General pests and diseases rarely occur, even if a small amount occurs, some pesticides with high efficiency and low toxicity can be used for prevention and control [6]. The flowering and fruiting period of pitaya is May ~165438+1October every year, and the fruit can be harvested when it turns from green to purple.
Development of pitaya
Today's high-fat, high-calorie and high-protein food structure leads to more and more patients with hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia. Pitaya, which has dual functions of beauty and health care, can be said to be the best choice for people. The flowers and fruits of pitaya can be eaten raw, and can also be processed into various nutritional and health foods, such as pitaya juice, sauce, preserved fruit, canned drinks, etc., with unique flavor. Both flowers and stems can be used as medicine. If the effective components of flowers and stems can be extracted and processed into capsules, pills and other drugs, it will be very effective in treating hypertension and diabetes. In addition, the stem of pitaya is an ideal rootstock for grafting precious cactus. Crab claw orchids and all kinds of weird cacti can be grafted on them to make garden plants for families to watch. The flowers and fruits of pitaya are also very bright, so it can also be directly used as bonsai and garden cultivation.
Pitaya has a short cultivation history in China. At present, only in Taiwan Province, Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian and other provinces, the cultivation area is still very limited. The market price of Chaozhou this year is 6~ 10 yuan, which forms a huge gap between supply and demand. To sum up, the development prospect of pitaya is very broad.
Management techniques of pitaya planting
First, raise seedlings
Pitaya is propagated mainly by cuttage or crop grafting.
1. Transplanting: Spring is the most suitable time. Cuttings were selected from well-grown stems and cut into small pieces with the length of 15cm. After the wound is air-dried, it can be inserted into the sand bed, and it can take about 15-30 days to take root. When the root grows to 3-4cm, it can be transplanted into the seedbed.
2. Grafting seedlings: select a ruler with no pests and diseases, strong growth and full stem flesh as the rootstock, and graft in sunny days. Cut the pitaya stem into a plane with a knife, insert the scion, align it with the cambium, and tie it tightly with cotton thread. Under the condition of 28-30 degrees Celsius, a large number of callus will be formed on the joint surface of the wound in 4-5 days, and the color of the scion is close to that of the rootstock, indicating that the vascular bundles of the two have healed and grafted successfully. At this time, they can be moved into the heel of the seedbed to continue culture.
3. Seedling management: The seedbed should be in a place with sunny ventilation, fertile soil and convenient irrigation and drainage. The whole bed should be carefully ditched, with 90cm and 667m2 of decomposed chicken manure or cow dung1500 kg-2,000 kg, mixed rice husk ash 1000kg, fully stirred and applied during soil preparation. After that, calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer 100- 150 kg was applied, fully stirred with a hoe, and applied to the plough layer 4-5 cm deep. Then plant the seedlings in a seedbed with row spacing of 3 cm, water them, and spray carbendazim 1 0/0 500 times every10.
Second, cultivation management.
Pitaya is a tropical plant, which likes light, shade, heat, drought, fertilizer and barren. Its stems can also grow on rocks, and its plants are very wind-resistant. As long as the support is firm and can resist typhoon, 300-400 plants can be planted in 667 square meters, and every four plants are supported by a cement column with a width of 20 cm and a height of 2 meters.
Pitaya can adapt to all kinds of soil, but neutral soil and weak acid soil with high humus content and water and fertilizer retention are the best. In order to make it grow vigorously after planting, it is necessary to apply more sterilized and fermented human manure organic fertilizer, calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer and compound fertilizer at seedling stage, and the dosage depends on the size of the plant.
Pitaya grows rapidly in a warm and humid environment with sufficient light. When cultivated in the open field in spring and summer, it is necessary to water more to keep the root system in a vigorous growth state, and drain water in time in rainy weather to avoid infection with germs and rot of stem meat. Pitaya is resistant to low temperature of 0℃ and high temperature of 40℃. In order to ensure its perennial growth and fruitfulness, and try to reach the appropriate temperature of 20-30℃, greenhouses must be built for planting in the north, and the temperature at night in winter should not be lower than 8℃. Plastic film can be removed in summer, but it must be ventilated. Dragon Orchard doesn't need a plow, just cut the weeds in time. Pitaya has a thick waxy layer, smooth appearance and no bagging, which saves labor and time. Pitaya generally has no insect pests, and occasionally there are nematodes in the roots and red spiders in the stems and leaves, which can be prevented in time.
It takes about 30 days from flowering to fruit ripening. The fruit turns from green to red, and can be harvested when it is slightly fragrant and bright.
Processing method of pitaya:
1. A method for extracting water-soluble red pigment from pitaya pulp and peel.
2. Pitaya wine and its preparation method
3. A method for extracting water-soluble natural red pigment from pitaya.
4. Production method of pitaya seed health care products
5. Production method of pitaya peel beverage
6, pitaya seed surface cleaning method
7. Production method of pitaya branch products
8. Production method of pitaya beverage
9. Production method of pitaya pulp beverage
10, production method of pitaya branch beverage
1 1, pitaya sparkling wine and its production process
12, preparation method of pitaya fruit wine
Pitaya dishes
Small pirate ship
Ingredients: 500g chicken, one pitaya, salt.
Cut the pitaya, dig it out, dice the chicken and fry it. After frying, put it into the dragon fruit diced and put it into the dragon fruit container.