International Journal of Horticulture, 2024, Vol.14, No.4, 237-249 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/ijh 247 calcium-magnesium fertilizer one day before flowering, at a dosage of 3-5 kg per mu. The results indicated that this measure significantly reduced the incidence of heart rot disease in thornless yellow dragon. In practical applications, pre-application of calcium-magnesium fertilizer effectively prevents Fusarium from entering the fruit through the pistil, reducing the occurrence of heart rot disease, thus ensuring the fruit quality, increasing yield, and improving economic benefits. Figure 9 Thornless yellow dragon infected with heart rot disease Figure 10 Anatomical details of the flower base (left) and style (right) of the thornless yellow dragon fruit 4.4 Post-harvest handling Post-harvest handling of thornless yellow dragon fruit is crucial for maintaining its quality and extending its shelf life. During harvesting, it is essential to use a triangular pruning method to avoid damaging the flesh, as the base of the fruit is relatively wide, preventing fruit rot. Additionally, it is best to use horticultural shears and retain a broad fruit stem, shaping it into a rectangle, which helps protect the fruit during subsequent handling. After harvesting, the fruit needs to be sorted and cleaned. In the washing pool, a solution with a certain concentration of prochloraz, iprodione, and 2,4-D is used to effectively remove surface impurities and pathogens. After washing, the fruit should be blow-dried to avoid excess moisture affecting fruit quality. Once sorting is complete, the fruit needs to be quickly transferred to a pre-cooling room to reduce the core temperature to 4 °C. Pre-cooling rapidly lowers the internal temperature of the fruit, slowing physiological activities and extending shelf life. Subsequently, the fruit should be stored in a cold storage room. Using this method, yellow dragon fruit can be preserved for a month without rotting. Moreover, thornless yellow dragon fruit has an exceptionally long shelf life; when stored at room temperature or in a cold room for 20 days, the fruit still maintains good quality and freshness. This efficient post-harvest handling method ensures that the yellow dragon fruit remains in optimal condition during transportation and sales, providing consumers with high-quality produce.
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