This year I consulted farmer to produce off-season fruit (Dec., Jan., Feb., and Mar.) in Taiwan.
The site was located in Pingtung (about latitude 22 degree N) in southern Taiwan.
In generally, the climate was warm in Pingtung. But, this year the minimum temperature was dropped to 12 degree C for a long time and even to 6 degree C in some night.
The illuminating (night-break 21:00-03:00) used 28W saving energy bulb from October-end 2010 to December-mid 2010.
And I got three batch flower bud breaks from November-mid to December-mid 2011.
About 60% shoot transformed into flowering shoot. The farmer got very high price NT$ 250 per kilogram in average.
But……………
I encountered some problems never seen before. It is a very good experience to me.
(1) Flower opening in the follow day time.
(Many friends help to cross-pollinate)
In generally speaking, pitaya flower opened in the night and pollinated.
Flower expected opening at night in 16 Jan. 2011 (this night minimum temperature was 10 degree C), but it didn’t.
Pitaya flower opened at next day time (07:00-13:00).
And the farmer pollinated from 07:00 – 13:00 in 17 Jan. 2011.
We observed the interested phenomena, that flower pollinated was failed to fruit set at 07:00-09:00.
When flower pollinated was successes to fruit set at 12:00-13:00.
(Flower opening in the day time)
(Farmer used plastic bag to protect flower before it blooming.)
(In the day time farmer uncovered the bags and cross-pollinated.)
(The functions of plastic bag was to protect the pollen from stolen by bee. )
(Sometimes bees could stolen pollen on the stigma.)
(*) I thought night temperature would affect the flower opening, especially below 10 degree C.
(**) Another, the sigma wasn’t accepted pollen to fruit set when flower opening at 07:00-09:00.
(2) Floral opening wasn’t uniform.
In generally, flower bud of the same batch was opened within 3 days.
Flower opened continuous 2 weeks, which induced by night-break in the winter.
It is very inefficiency to cross-pollinate. Because, sometimes only 30-50 flowers opened. And sometimes you would face that you didn't had different variety pollen to cross-pollinate.