In Vitro Micropropagation of a Wild Dragon Fruit Accession (Selenicereus sp.) with Orange Peel and Fuchsia Pulp from the Amazonas Region, Peru

Abstract

The wild dragon fruit (Selenicereus spp.) with orange peel and fuchsia pulp, known as “Naranja de Churuja”, represents a promising plant genetic resource from the Amazonas region of Peru. The objective of this study was to develop an in vitro micropropagation protocol for this local accession by evaluating shoot induction and proliferation, in vitro rooting, and ex vitro acclimatization. During the multiplication phase, nine combinations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) were evaluated using cladode segments. Shoot induction was high in most treatments (95.56–100.00%), and the combination of 2.0 mg L−1 BAP + 0.1 mg L−1 IBA produced the highest number of shoots per explant (9.67), whereas 1.0 mg L−1 BAP without IBA promoted the greatest shoot elongation (2.34 cm). During the rooting phase, 1.50 mg L−1 IBA produced the highest number of roots per explant (3.41), whereas 1.00 mg L−1 IBA generated the greatest shoot length (4.12 cm). During ex vitro acclimatization, all plants survived (100% survival), but growth depended significantly on the substrate, with the moss treatment promoting the greatest development. In conclusion, an efficient micropropagation protocol was established for the wild “Naranja de Churuja” accession, with potential for mass propagation, germplasm conservation, and future biotechnological applications, including genetic transformation and genome editing.