AUGUST PITAYA (Stenocereus stellatus Pfeiffer) CULTIVATION IN THE GUERRERO MOUNTAIN

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the cultivation of the August pitaya (Stenocereus stellatus Pfeiffer) in two communities of the Mountain of Guerrero, Mexico.
Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was applied to a sample of 29 producers out of a total of 105 Rural Production Units (UPR), with variables on management practices of the August pitaya and its contribution in the income of rural families. The information was analyzed with descriptive statistics.
Results: In the study communities, the cultivation of August pitaya is carried out by producers over 40 years old, both men and women, with an average experience of 9.8 years in crop production and few management practices. The harvest period is on average 66 days, with an estimated production of 3375.9 kg per unit of production and an average price of $7.48 MX per kg. An income of $25,000 MX per year per unit of production and a total regional income of $ 3,044,435.07 MX was estimated.
Limitations of the study/Implications: The wide range of the harvest period and the characteristic that the August pitaya is a highly perishable food makes it difficult to quantify the production in a high sample of production units.
Findings/Conclusions: The August pitaya is a low investment crop in the Guerrero Mountain region, both in economic and human resources. However, it is a crop that contributes significantly, especially seasonally, to the economic income of families in the region.