Yes also dragonfruit is not something that i would buy here on the markets. How can a good dragonfruit taste then? Are they more sweet?
Or maybe they use so many (wrong) chemicals here that the taste goes bland? They buy japanese melons here for big money like 250 baht a piece that is about 8 us$ a piece.
The Royal project should get some good seeds, then the Thai can see that it is possible to grow good ones here.
If my australian passionfruits are really sweet then i will start finding good melons and dragonfruits and grow them in Thailand. I first have to see proof that it is really possible to grow good ones here. I cannot believe that it is never tried here before.
Believe it! Lots of things have not been tried in Thailand before. For example, why don't they have rollinas, mamey, jaboticaba, white sapote, and countless other good quality south american fruits that could be grown there? Same goes for most countries, there's lot of good plants still to be added. But Thailand seems to me especially closed minded about trying new cultivars and new species. They like to always plant the SOT, same old thing. Maybe India is even more close minded. They are just now starting to discover the rambutan, and have yet to add durians and mangosteens, all of which are Asian fruits, while their close neighbor to the south, Sri Lanka, has been growing them for many decades.
A good dragon fruit is not just sweeter it has a taste, hard to describe but it is a very refreshing and delightful fruit when it is good quality. Canteloupes there are lots and lots of excellent quality ones in USA. Growing conditions and use of chemical fertilizers ofcourse can affect the taste. But most important and crucial is to start with a good cultivar.