Arid Agriculture |

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Date	Type	Title
06/25/2025	Farm Log	First monsoon of 2025?
06/16/2025	Video	Iran, The Persian Qanat
06/15/2025	Institution	Islamic Azad University, Iran
06/15/2025	Person	Fardin Boustani
06/15/2025	Publication	Sustainable Water Utilization in Arid Region of Iran by Qanats

Notes on this list: not all of these crops are commercially viable. Some are considered weeds in many countries. They appear here because of potential uses and existing studies that show promise as livestock feeds and pharmaceutical extracts.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 30 crops.

Crop Photo	Description
	Opuntia ficus indica (Figi d'india, Figuier de barbarie, Indian Fig, Opuntia ficus indica, Palma cactus, Prickly Pear, Tuna, mal rachette, palma forrageira, sabra, tzabar) A normally spineless variety of Opuntia cactus with large fruits growing on each pad. This species of cactus is grown world-wide to feed people, livestock and to restore degraded soils. Opuntia ficus indica (prickly pear) was bred to be spineless by Luther Burbank in California in the early part of the 20th century. This spineless cultivar has spread around the world and is used principally as livestock feed throughout arid regions. It's fruit (including the peels) has many applications as a consumable, as well as applications in pharmaceuticals. The seeds render a valuable oil and can...
	Atriplex hortensis (French spinach, Ornamental Orach, arrach, mountain spinach, orach, orache, red orache) Atriplex hortensis, known as garden orache, red orache or simply orache, mountain spinach, French spinach, or arrach, is a species of plant in the amaranth family used as a leaf vegetable that was common before spinach and still grown as a warm-weather alternative to that crop.
	Atriplex nummularia (Old Man Saltbush) Atriplex nummularia is a species of saltbush from the family Amaranthaceae and is a large woody shrub known commonly as oldman saltbush. A. nummularia is native to Australia and occurs in each of the mainland states, thriving in arid and semi-arid inland regions. Atriplex nummularia is among the most commonly utilised forage shrubs in Australia and has become widely cultivated for stock fodder. This is primarily a result of its propensity to survive in harsh environments subject to flooding, drought and high levels of salinity, as well as being palatable to livestock due to the elevated mineral...
	Opuntia monacantha (Barbary fig, cochineal prickly pear, drooping prickly pear) Opuntia monacantha, commonly known as drooping prickly pear, cochineal prickly pear, or Barbary fig, is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae native to South America.
	Opuntia stricta (erect prickly pear, nopal estricto) Opuntia stricta is a species of large cactus that is endemic to the subtropical and tropical coastal areas of the Americas, especially around the Caribbean. Common names include erect prickly pear and nopal estricto. The first description as Cactus strictus was published in 1803 by Adrian Hardy Haworth.
	Salvia rosmarinus (Rosemary) Rosemary is an aromatic evergreen shrub with leaves similar to Tsuga needles. It is native to the Mediterranean region, but is reasonably hardy in cool climates. Special cultivars like 'Arp' can withstand winter temperatures down to about −20 °C (−4 °F). It can withstand droughts, surviving a severe lack of water for lengthy periods. It is considered a potentially invasive species and its seeds are often difficult to start, with a low germination rate and relatively slow growth, but the plant can live as long as 35 years. The plant flowers in spring and summer in temperate...
	Amaranthus caudatus (Amaranth, ataco, ataku, coimi, inca jataco, jaguarcha, kiwicha, love-lies-bleeding, millmi, qamasa, quihuicha, sankurachi) Amaranthus caudatus (also known as Amaranthus edulis and Amaranthus mantegazzianus) is a species of annual flowering plant. It goes by common names such as love-lies-bleeding,[3] pendant amaranth, tassel flower, velvet flower, foxtail amaranth, and quelite. To the Quechua people of South America, A. caudatus is referred to as kiwicha, quihuicha, inca jataco; ataco, ataku, sankurachi, jaguarcha (Ecuador), millmi, or coimi. While to the Aymara people, who are native to the Andes and Altiplano regions of South America, A. caudatus is known as qamasa. Many parts of the plant, including the leaves and seeds, are edible,...
	Atriplex hymenelytra (Desert Holly) Atriplex hymenelytra is an evergreen shrub distributed in the hot deserts of parts of Mexico and the southwestern United States. The leaves of the species have a number of characteristics that are adaptive in a hot, dry environment, some of which change seasonally. Steeply angled leaves reduce midday solar interception, yet result in relatively high interception when solar angles are low and vapor pressure deficits are at a minimum. The leaves substantially reduce their absorptance of incident radiation during the hot periods of the year by changing their moisture and hence dissolved salt contents. At these times the light...
	Opuntia cochenillifera (Nopalea cochenillifera, Nopalea nuda, Opuntia nuda) Opuntia cochenillifera is a species of cactus in the subfamily Opuntioideae. It may have been endemic to Mexico, but has been widely introduced. The first description was in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus as Cactus cochenillifer. Philip Miller renamed it as Opuntia cochenillifera in 1768.
	Kochia prostrata (Forage kochia, Prostrate Smotherweed, prostrate kochia, prostrate summer-cypress, prostrate summercypress) Forage kochia (Kochia prostrata (L.) Schrad.), also known as prostrate kochia, or prostrate summer cypress is a long-lived, perennial, semi-evergreen, half-shrub well adapted to the temperate, semiarid and arid regions of central Asia and the western U.S. In these areas it has proven to be a valuable forage plant for sheep, goats, camels, cattle, and horses.
	Atriplex canescens (Fourwing Saltbush) Saltbush is a vernacular plant name that most often refers to Atriplex, a genus of about 250 plants distributed worldwide from subtropical to subarctic regions. Atriplex species are native to Australia, North and South America, and Eurasia. Many Atriplex species are halophytes and are adapted to dry environments with salty soils.
	Atriplex halimus (Mediterranean saltbush, Oldman-Saltbush, sea orache, shrubby orache , silvery orache) The leaves are edible. Extracts from the leaves have shown to have significant hypoglycemic effects. The species has potential use in agriculture. A study allowed sheep and goats to voluntarily feed on A. halimus and aimed to determine if the saltbush was palatable, and if so, did it provide enough nutrients to supplement the diet of these animals. In this study they determined when goats and sheep are given as much A. halimus as they like, they do obtain enough nutrients to supplement their diet – unless the animal requirements are higher during pregnancy and milk production....
	Opuntia dillenii (Cholla (USA), Dildo, Eltham Indian-fig, Pak'an, pipestem prickly-pear, slipper thorn, spiny pest-pear, spiny prickly-pear, sweet prickly-pear) Opuntia dillenii is a species of prickly pear native to the tropical and subtropical Americas. It is naturalized in many other parts of the world. It differs from O. stricta by having more spines per arose (usually more than 3).
	Moringa oleifera (Moringa) Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and used extensively in South and Southeast Asia. Common names include moringa, drumstick tree (from the long, slender, triangular seed-pods), horseradish tree[3] (from the taste of the roots, which resembles horseradish), or malunggay (as known in maritime or archipelagic areas in Asia). It is widely cultivated for its young seed pods and leaves, used as vegetables and for traditional herbal medicine. It is also used for water purification. Although listed as an invasive species in several countries, M. oleifera has "not...
	Amaranthus palmeri (pigweed) Amaranthus palmeri is a species of edible flowering plant in the amaranth genus. It has several common names, including carelessweed, dioecious amaranth, Palmer's amaranth, Palmer amaranth, and Palmer's pigweed. It is native to most of the southern half of North America. Populations in the eastern United States are probably naturalized. It has also been introduced to Europe, Australia, and other areas. The plant is fast-growing and highly competitive.
	Selenicereus megalanthus (Yellow Pitaya) Selenicereus megalanthus, synonym Hylocereus megalanthus, is a cactus species in the genus Selenicereus that is native to northern South America, where it is known, along with its fruit, by the name of pitahaya. The species is grown commercially for its yellow fruit, but is also an impressive ornamental climbing vine with perhaps the largest flowers of all cacti. The yellow skinned fruit of S. megalanthus has thorns, unlike the green, red or yellow skinned dragon fruits of S. undatus, S. monacanthus and their cultivated hybrids. S. megalanthus is commonly known as "yellow dragon fruit", "yellow...
	Selenicereus costaricensis (Costa Rican Pitaya, Pitaya roja) Selenicereus costaricensis, synonym Hylocereus costaricensis, known as the Costa Rican pitahaya or Costa Rica nightblooming cactus, is a cactus species native to Central America and north-eastern South America.The species is grown commercially for its fruit, called pitaya or pitahaya, but is also an impressive ornamental vine with huge flowers.
	Selenicereus undatus (White Pitaya) Selenicereus undatus, the white-fleshed pitahaya, is a species of the genus Selenicereus (formerly Hylocereus) in the family Cactaceae and is the most cultivated species in the genus. It is used both as an ornamental vine and as a fruit crop - the pitahaya or dragon fruit. Like all true cacti, the genus originates in the Americas, but the precise native origin of the species S. undatus is uncertain and never been resolved.
	Stenocereus griseus (Mexican organ pipe, dagger cactus, pitaya, pitayo de mayo) This tree-like cactus can grow up to 9 m tall, with stems up to 12 cm in diameter.[1] Depending on the cactus, the color of the fruit vary from white, yellow, red, and purple being the hardest to find. Its fruit is edible to humans and is considered good tasting. It is planted as an ornamental and as a living fence in warm regions. When used as a fence, it can be impervious to animals due to its spiny nature.
	Stenocereus thurberi (Organ pipe cactus) Stenocereus thurberi, the organ pipe cactus, is a species of cactus native to Mexico and the United States. The species is found in rocky desert. Two subspecies are recognized based on their distribution and height. The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is named for the species. Its English common name is derived from its resemblance to a pipe organ. It is locally known as pitaya dulce, Spanish for "sweet pitaya" or sweet cactus fruit.

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