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 contains
diverse bioactive compounds which make this plant to withstand extreme drought conditions
in relatively poor soil. The present review is aimed at the morphological characters of Opuntia
ficus-indica with its food and medicinal values.
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 in Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with 20 different combinations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and benzyladenine (BA). The best calli induc- tion and regeneration response were observed when 2.26 M 2,4-D and 2.21 M BA combination was applied to the nopal explants. Regenerating calli was capable of forming new buds when transferred to MS basal medium supplemented with 0.5 M BA (proliferation medium).