Bioscience Evidence 2024, Vol.14, No.6, 281-292 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 284 development phase involves the formation of cladodes, which are modified stems that will later support the plant's growth and fruit production (Chu and Chang, 2020). During the vegetative growth stage, dragon fruit plants exhibit significant branching and canopy formation. Cladodes grow and multiply, forming a dense canopy that maximizes photosynthetic efficiency. Morphological traits such as the number of spines, length of areoles, and the waxiness of cladodes are important for identifying different Hylocereus species (Figure 1) (Abirami et al., 2021). This stage is characterized by rapid growth and the establishment of a robust plant structure. Figure 1 An illustration of important traits of three different Hylocereus species of dragon fruit. Cladode characters: (A) length of segments (cm), (B) number of spines and (C) margin ribs of cladode; Flower characters: (D) flower bud shape and (E) shape of apex; fruit characters: (F) fruit length (cm) and (G) position towards the peel (Adopted from Abirami et al., 2021) Image caption: The figure provides a detailed illustration of the differences in key morphological traits, including cladode segments, flower buds, and fruits, among three dragon fruit (Hylocereus spp.) species. The results indicate significant interspecies differences in these traits. For example, the cladode margin of H. megalanthus (DGF3) is concave, while it is convex in the other two species. The fruit shape and flower apex morphology also show distinct variations. These differences highlight the importance of morphological traits in distinguishing dragon fruit species and demonstrate their application value in species identification (Adapted from Abirami et al., 2021)
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