Dragon fruit: morphological and molecular characterization

A representative collection of 18 dragon fruit germplasm accessions, Hylocereus undatus (Haw.) Britton & Rose, held in Atogo, Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Canary Islands, has been morphologically characterized with the use of the UPOV descriptors designed for this species.
All the studied cultivars are of commercial importance and include material with varying young stem features, intensity of the red colour of the bract in the flower, and some fruit characteristics such as the main colour of the middle bract of the fruit, the thickness of the fruit peel, and an important trait for the consumer, the colour of the fruit pulp.
The DNA extraction was done using adventitious roots since it proved to be more appropriate than other plant parts tested.
The molecular characterization was carried out with the use of specific microsatellites designed for this species.
These approaches together will allow us to clearly define the different materials since there is some denomination confusion with different materials having the same name and, on the other hand, the same material being identified with the different names.

XI International Congress on Cacti as Food, Fodder and Other Uses

C. Méndez Hernández, A. Coello Torres, M.Y. González Padrón, M.J. Grajal-Martín

Hylocereus, UPOV descriptors, microsatellites

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2026.1452.29