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 41 - 47 of 47 publications.

Published	Title/Abstract	Authors
2022	Challenges Inherent in Controlling Prickly Pear Species; Global Review of the Properties of Opuntia stricta, Opuntia ficus-indica and Opuntia monacantha Opuntia species (prickly pear) were deliberately introduced to many countries around the world for fruit, cochineal dye production, living fencing or as ornamentals. They are now some of the...
2023	Arthrobacter sp. Inoculation Improves Cactus Pear Growth, Quality of Fruits, and Nutraceutical Properties of Cladodes A study was undertaken to determine the effects of a strain of Arthrobacter sp., a Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB), on plant phenology and qualitative composition of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.)...
2023	Meyerozyma caribbica Isolated from Vinasse-Irrigated Sugarcane Plantation Soil: A Promising Yeast for Ethanol and Xylitol Production in Biorefineries The production of fuels and other industrial products from renewable sources has inten- sified the search for new substrates or for the expansion of the use of substrates already...	Bárbara Ribeiro Alves Alencar, Ph.D.
2023	Opuntia ficus-indica (prickly pear) This datasheet on Opuntia ficus-indica covers Identity, Overview, Associated Diseases, Pests or Pathogens, Distribution, Dispersal, Hosts/Species Affected, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Prevention/Control, Management,...
2023	Opuntia ficus-indica A review Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly referred to as prickly pear, belongs to the family Cactaceae. It is used as both for food and medicine in different countries throughout the world. It...	Sanjeet Kumar, Ph.D.
2024	Selected Mesoamerican Crops - Anti-Obesity Potential and Health Promotion. A Review Mesoamerica is the center of origin of a great number of food crops that nowadays are part of a healthy diet. Pre-Columbian civilizations utilized more than 90% of...	Talía Hernández-Pérez, Ph.D. Octavio Paredes-López, Ph.D.
2024	Ensiling as a Conservation Technique for Opuntia ficus indica (L.) By-Products: Peel and Pastazzo Italy is the third largest producer of Opuntia fruits in the world after Mexico and the United States, and 97.72% of these fruits produced by Italy are grown in...	Riccardo Gannuscio, Ph.D. Cinzia Cardamone, Ph.D. Alessandro Vastolo, Ph.D. Caterina Lucia, Ph.D. Angela D’Amico, Ph.D. Giuseppe Maniaci, Ph.D. Massimo Todaro, Ph.D.

Pages

Books

Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 works.

	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: 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: 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 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:

Crop Use:

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.

	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

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