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Home » Crop » Opuntia ficus indica

Opuntia ficus indica

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opuntia ficus indica

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 be ground into flour for baking. It's fibrous pads are also used to create bio-fuel and synthetic leather.

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Publications
Below is a list of research papers pertaining to this crop.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 47 publications.
Publishedsort descending Title/Abstract Authors Journal
1878 Bulletin of The Torrey Botanical Club. New York, Feb., 1818

§ 2I4. Opuntia Ficus-Indica, DC.-It may not be out of place to note a few things about the Opuntia Ficus-Indica, of Southern Italy and other Mediterranean countries. Its main use...

  • Isaac Hollister Hall, LL. B., Ph. D.
The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society
1975 Titratable Acids in Opuntia ficus indica L.

Accumulation of acidity in spiny and spineless Opuntia joints jluctuated daily due to crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in Golan Height and coastal plain. The acidity reached higher concentrations in...

  • Sigmund J. Ellern, Ph.D.
  • Yochai B. Samish, Ph.D.
1980 Biophysical properties of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage

The purified mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica is a high MW polysaccharide which behaves as a polyelectrolyte. Viscosity of its solution is dependent on the Ca2+ ion concentration and on...

  • Shlomo Trachtenberg, Ph.D.
  • Alfred M. Mayer, Ph.D.
Phytochemistry
1993 CO2 Exchange and Growth of the Crassulacean Acid Metabolism

CO2 uptake, water vapor conductance, and biomass production of Opuntia ficus-indica, a Crassulacean acid metabolism species, were studied at CO2 concentrations of 370, 520, and 720 pL 1-' i n...

  • Muyi Cui, Ph.D.
  • Patsy M. Miller, Ph.D.
  • Park S. Nobel, Ph.D.
1996 Native Cultivars of Cactus Pear in México

Cactus pears or prickly pears (Opuntia spp. Cactaceae) are omnipresent plants of the Mexican landscape and have great historical and ethnobotanical significance. Ripe fruits and tender cladodes (pads), have been...

  • Candelario Mondragon-Jacobo, Ph.D.
  • S. Perez-Gonzalez, Ph.D.
1999 Frugivorous Drosophila simulans begins to exploit Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes

The introduction of exotic plants creates potential new niches for endemic animals. European tradespeople brought the cactus Opuntia ficus-indica in the 16th century from Mexico to Europe to serve...

  • Karel Th. Eisses, Ph.D.
  • Ian C. W. Hardy, Ph.D.
  • Mauro Santos, Ph.D.
  • Adam Leibowitz, Ph.D.
2002 Fodder Potential Of Opuntia Ficus-Indica

The objective of this study was to investigate the fodder potential of Opuntia ficus-indica. Samples taken from a plant grown in a greenhouse were analysed for DM, ash, CP,...

  • Firew Tegegne Amogne, Ph.D.
2003 Oil cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.)

Seeds and pulp of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) were compared in terms of fatty acids, lipid classes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins and b-carotene. Total lipids (TL) in lyophilised seeds and...

  • Jōrg-Thomas Mōrsel, Ph.D.
  • Mohamed Fawzy Ramadan, Ph.D.
2006 Forage Potential of Opuntia Clones

Short term gas exchange measurements and long term field trials have confirmed the several fold greater water to dry matter conversion efficiency of cactus than C3 and C4 plants. The...

  • Sanjeet Kumar, Ph.D.
  • Rajbala Soni, Ph.D.
2006 Cactus Pear Production Systems In Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Ethiopia has some of the lowest socioeconomic indicators in the world. About 90% of the population earn their living mainly from agricultural activities, which are mostly based on rainfed...

  • Firew Tegegne Amogne, Ph.D.
  • Candelario Mondragon-Jacobo, Ph.D.
2007 Physicochemical Characterization of Nopal Pads (Opuntia ficus indica) and Dry Vacuum Nopal Powders as a Function of the Maturation

This paper presents the physicochemical and nutrimental characterization of fresh nopal (Opuntia ficus indica, Redonda variety) and nopal powder produced at different stages of development. Nopal powder was obtained...

  • Alicia Real del López, Ph.D.
2010 NOPAL (Opuntia ficus indica L.), DELICIOSO Y MEDICINAL

La planta de nopal tiene su origen en México, pero tiene una distribución muy amplia ya que se encuentra de manera natural en toda América y presente en los...

  • Moisés Agustín Blanco-Navarro, MSc.
2010 Opuntia Ficus-Indica as an Extremophile

Opuntia Ficus-Indica as an Extremophile

  • Gertrud Konings, Ph.D.
2011 Evaluation of oxalates and calcium in nopal pads (Opuntia ficus-indica var. redonda) at different maturity stages

The content of calcium oxalate and calcium in powder from Opuntia ficus-indica (nopal pad) was investigated. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to evaluate the calcium and calcium oxalate contents....

  • Alicia Real del López, Ph.D.
2011 Development of a regeneration protocol through indirect organogenesis

An indirect organogenesis regeneration protocol for Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill var “Blanco sin Espinas” is described. One centimeter square cladode explants sections from previously micropropagated prickly pear plants were cultured...

  • Paola Isabel Angulo-Bejarano, Ph.D.
  • Octavio Paredes-López, Ph.D.
2012 Pharmacological Actions of opuntia ficus indica

Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) belongs to the family Cactaceae. Family Cactaceae is reported to contain about 130 genera and nearly 1500 species. This plant is native of Mexico and it is...

  • Manpreet Kaur, Ph.D.
  • Amandeep Kaur, Ph.D.
  • Ramica Sharma, Ph.D.
2012 Nopal Cactus (Opuntia Ficus-Indica) as a Holographic Material

The nopal cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) releases a substance through its mucilage, which comes from the degradation of pectic substances and chlorophyll. Combined in a polyvinyl alcohol matrix, this substance can...

  • Arturo Olivares-Pérez, Ph.D.
  • Santa Toxqui-López, Ph.D.
  • Ana L. Padilla-Velasco, Ph.D.
2014 Antileishmanial activity of Opuntia ficus-indica fractions

Cladodes and fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of abscess and skin inflammation. It was therefore interesting to assess whether an antileishmanial activity...

  • A. Bargougui, Ph.D.
  • P. Champy, Ph.D.
  • S. Triki, Ph.D.
  • C. Bories, Ph.D.
  • P. Le Pape, Ph.D.
  • P. M. Loiseau, Ph.D.
2015 Characterization of Calcium Compounds in Opuntia ficus indica as a Source of Calcium for Human Diet

Analyses of calcium compounds in cladodes, soluble dietary fiber (SDF), and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) of Opuntia ficus indica are reported. The characterization of calcium compounds was performed by...

  • Alicia Real del López, Ph.D.
2015 Characterization of crystalline structures in Opuntia ficus-indica

This research studies the crystalline compounds present in nopal (Opuntia ficus- indica) cladodes. The identification of the crystalline structures was performed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, and...

  • Margarita Contreras-Padilla, Ph.D.
  • Eric M. Rivera-Muñoz, Ph.D.
  • Elsa Gutiérrez-Cortez, Ph.D.
  • Alicia Real del López, Ph.D.
  • Mario Enrique Rodríguez-García, Ph.D.

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Books
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 works.
The de la Cruz - Badiano Aztec Herbal of 1552 The de la Cruz - Badiano Aztec Herbal of 1552: Translation and Commentary

The present volume contains the full text, in English version, with all the figures of the plants, as found in the original manuscript, which as Codex Barberini, Latin 241,...

Manual of Methods for Soil and Land Evaluation Manual of Methods for Soil and Land Evaluation:

One of the primary functions of soil is that of buffering, filtration and transformation of many substances including pollutants. This function is of primary importance when dealing with land...

Emerging Natural Hydrocolloids Emerging Natural Hydrocolloids: Rheology and Functions

In today’s health-conscious climate, the demand for natural food products is growing all the time. Natural hydrocolloids, therefore, have never been more popular. With their thickening, stabilizing, gelling, fat...

Luther Burbank's Spineless Cactus Luther Burbank's Spineless Cactus

To give each purchaser a guarantee of receiving original Burbank productions this corporation has originated a trade mark. The name “Burbank” has been so indiscriminately and fraudulently used that...

Attributes
Plant attributes.

Plant Type:

  • Cactus

Crop Part Used:

  • Fruit (pulp)
  • Fruit (whole)
  • Pads
  • Rinds
  • Seeds
  • Spines

Crop Use:

  • Biofuel
  • Dye Production
  • Fodder
  • Pharmaceutials
  • Seed Flour
  • Seed Oil
  • Vegetable
  • Water Purification
  • Wine and Spirit Production
Attribution
Links to outside information.
Attribution/Links: 
Wikipedia
Nopal Cactus: Sustainable Food of the Future?
Common cactus could be used to clean water
The Mythic Nopal Cactus Is Our New Favorite Edible Green
Mexico's prickly pear cactus: energy source of the future?
UN dishes up prickly pear cactus in answer to food security
Native Cultivars of Cactus Pear in México
Eating Cactus: Prickly Pear for Food
Common cactus could be used to clean water
arizona.edu
Plants for a Future (pfaf.org)
Insect wreaks havoc on Tunisia’s crucial prickly pear industry
Eating Cactus: Prickly Pear for Food
CANOTIA: An Arizona journal publishing botanical and mycological papers
SEINET - Arizona - New Mexico Chapter
The Universal Protein Resource (UniProt)
Crop Link Source: 
Nopal Cactus: A Sustainable Food of the Future
Pests
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 pests.
Dr Andrew Weeks, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons Drosophila simulans

This species was discovered by the fly geneticist Alfred Sturtevant in 1919, when he noticed that the flies used in Thomas Hunt Morgan's laboratory at the Columbia University were...

Armillaria mellea (armillaria root rot)

Armillaria root rot is a fungal root rot caused by several different members of the genus Armillaria. The symptoms are variable depending on the host infected, ranging from stunted...

Dactylopius coccus costa

Dactylopius is a genus of insect in the superfamily Coccoidea, the scale insects. It is the only genus in the family Dactylopiidae. These insects are known commonly as cochineals,...

Cactoblastis cactorum

Cactoblastis cactorum, the cactus moth, South American cactus moth or nopal moth, is native to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil. It is one of five species in the...

Diseases
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 diseases.
Pectobacterium carotovorum (bacterial soft rot)

The species is a plant pathogen with a diverse host range, including many agriculturally and scientifically important plant species. It produces pectolytic enzymes that hydrolyze pectin between individual plant...

Video
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 videos.

Show 5 | 10 results per page.
Cactus in livestock feeding systems - H. Ben Salem, 2017
Cactus in livestock feeding systems - H. Ben Salem, 2017
CONOCE LOS SECRETOS DEL NOPAL (Know the secrets of Nopal)
CONOCE LOS SECRETOS DEL NOPAL (Know the secrets of Nopal)
About Orly Cactus Farm
About Orly Cactus Farm
Exploring biogas potential from cactus
Exploring biogas potential from cactus
José Dantas Neto - Professor Aposentado Da UFCG E Sócio Efetivo Do IHGSL
José Dantas Neto - Professor Aposentado Da UFCG E Sócio Efetivo Do IHGSL
Feeding cactus to cows in large farming operations
Feeding cactus to cows in large farming operations
Can Chickens Have Cactus?
Can Chickens Have Cactus?
BAIF | Spineless Cactus | Fodder | 2020
BAIF | Spineless Cactus | Fodder | 2020
Cultivation And Harvesting Prickly Pear - Amazing agriculture Technology - Prickly Pear Processing
Cultivation And Harvesting Prickly Pear - Amazing agriculture Technology - Prickly Pear Processing
How Do Farmers In South America Grow Prickly Cactus| Agriculture Technology
How Do Farmers In South America Grow Prickly Cactus| Agriculture Technology
Common cactus fuels Mexican biogas plant
Common cactus fuels Mexican biogas plant
IGFRI Jhansi Cactus New fodder option
IGFRI Jhansi Cactus New fodder option
Awesome Nopal Cactus Harvesting
Awesome Nopal Cactus Harvesting
Mexico's countryside may hold the key to the nation's energy future
Mexico's countryside may hold the key to the nation's energy future
Farmers push cactus as answer to world hunger
Farmers push cactus as answer to world hunger
11 Impressive Benefits Of Nopales - Nopal Cactus Health Benefits
11 Impressive Benefits Of Nopales - Nopal Cactus Health Benefits
Cactus Pear - Green Gold
Cactus Pear - Green Gold
Nopal, Mexico’s Native Superfood
Nopal, Mexico’s Native Superfood
Nopal Cactus Cultivation - Cactus Farming and Harvest
Nopal Cactus Cultivation - Cactus Farming and Harvest
Cactus Fruit Harvesting - Prickly Pear Farm and Harvesting - Desert Agriculture Technology
Cactus Fruit Harvesting - Prickly Pear Farm and Harvesting - Desert Agriculture Technology

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Locations
Crop Planting: 
Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia Ficus Indica)-Sunizona, Arizona, USA: Site #0001
Nomenclature
Common Names: 
  • Figi d'india
  • Figuier de barbarie
  • Indian Fig
  • Opuntia ficus indica
  • Palma cactus
  • Prickly Pear
  • Tuna
  • mal rachette
  • palma forrageira
  • sabra
  • tzabar
Scientific Names: 
  • Opuntia Ficus Indica
Classification

Kingdom:

  • Plantae
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