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Cactus as a tool to mitigate drought and to combat Desertification
Abstract
Land degradation occurs in all continents and affects the livelihoods of millions of people, including a large proportion of the poor in the drylands. Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. is a xerophytic cactus species, widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide. As most of species of the Cactacee family, O. ficus-indica exhibits Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), with nocturnal stomata opening and CO2 uptake occurring, typically, from dusk to dawn. Many reasons may account for the great interest devoted to cacti. The multipurpose use of this plant species and their ability to grow in harsh environments are the main reasons. Their root characteristics avoid wind and rain erosion, encouraging their growth in degraded areas. The establishment of sustainable production systems based on cactus may contribute to the food security of populations in agriculturally marginalized areas and to soil improvement. Cacti are some of the best plants for the reforestation of arid and semi-arid areas because they can resist scarce and erratic rainfall and high temperatures. The reasons behind the diffusion of cacti include (i) simple cultivation practices required to grow the crop, (ii) its quick establishment soon after the introduction in a new area, (iii) ability to grow in harsh conditions characterized by high temperature, lack of water and poor soil, (iv) generation of income from the selling of much valued and appreciated fruits, (v) use of its stems in the human diet and as fodder for the livestock, and (vi) many industrial derivatives produced from the fruits.
... It is also reported that cactus grows in diverse climatic conditions from moist to water-stressed areas. Furthermore, cactus grows in moisture deficient sites [6,7]. Unlike other stable crops, therefore, the cactus plant is reliable insurance for poor farmers that grow in a difficult environment [8]. ...
... Moreover, the soil moisture content increased under cactus canopy cover (9.49%) compared with open areas (6.74%). Furthermore, the total soil losses in the cactus area (1.98 tons/ha/year) were lower than those in areas without cactus cover (29.1 tons/ha/year) [6]. ...
... Cactus has the lowest amount of water lost via transpiration (the transpiration ratio is the amount of water lost through transpiration over the CO 2 fixed in photosynthesis) in the photosynthesis compared with C4 plants [3,6,50]. ...
Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a multipurpose plant in drylands. The objective of this study was to synthesize the livelihood benefits, survival threats and management of cactus pear in Tigray (Ethiopia). Metadata were generated from 63 available articles. Accidental interviews (n = 35) and frequent field observations were also used to substantiate the metadata. Descriptive statistics and descriptions were used to analyze the data. In the meta-analysis, cactus is a viable biological measure to maintain soil quality and moisture, as it has high water use efficiency. In addition, cactus provides an average yield of 16.20 ± 8.33 tons fruits per ha. The plant is also a source of income and a live fence in low rainfall sites. The dryland plant has bridged the food and forage gaps. The cochineal insect, which eats only cactus, was introduced for a dyeing business. However, mismanagement of the insects invaded vast cactus-rich sites at an alarming rate. The infested areas increased from 17 villages in 2011 to 139 villages in 2018 with an average damage of 3,890 ha of cactus per year. The study highlights that research institutions and Tigray government have failed to address the cochineal infestation for about 15 years. Consequently, the poor farmers received neither cactus benefits from harvesting carmine nor other ecosystem services. Therefore, we suggest that integrated pest management efforts and expansion of cactus plantations along the western escarpment in the Rift Valley improve food availability and defend the landscape against the expansion of desertification in northern Ethiopia.
... The genus Opuntia, the most widely used word by authors (Fig. 6) 430-443. and with the highest frequency increase through the years (Table 3), is the best known among the 1600 species cataloged in the Cactaceae family (Nefzaoui et al., 2014). However, the most widely used species/cultivars, mainly in the Brazilian semi-arid region, are Opuntia fícusindica 'Gigante', O. fícus-indica 'Redonda', Orelha de Elefante Mexicana (O. ...
... According to Kiesling (2013), this species is the result of several thousand years of selection, being currently characterized by its large edible fruits and the absence of spine. It is cultivated in more than 20 countries, with approximately a planted area of 900,000 ha in North Africa, including 600,000 ha in Tunisia (Nefzaoui et al., 2014), being the species with the greatest research interest. In Brazil, the cultivated area is about 600,000 ha, with species such as Gigante, Redonda, and Miúda (the last being of the genus Nopalea). ...
Forage cactus (FC) is a perennial crop primarily developed in semi-arid regions. In Brazil, it is one of the main feed sources for ruminants during the dry season. However, scientific research and publication on FC seem limited and recent. Bibliometric studies allow measuring publication patterns and understanding the evolution of scientific production. Thus, a bibliometric analysis was carried out to evaluate the scientific production on productive aspects, management, and use of FC in animal feed (1800-June 2022). The literature search was based on keywords, including “cactus, cacti, nopal, prickly pear, palma forrageira, cacto, Nopalea, Opuntia, forage, forragem, and forraje”. Data were analyzed using the Bibliometrix tool based on the R language through the Biblioshiny interface. A total of 514 publications were identified, with a predominance of research articles (92.6%). Scientific production includes authors from 40 countries, highlighting Brazil (1094 authors). The main sources were: Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, Acta Horticulturae, Tropical Animal Health and Production, Revista Caatinga, Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development, and Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental. The 10 most frequent words were: Opuntia, Semiarid, Nopalea, Forage, Cactaceae, Opuntia fícus-indica, Cactus, Cactus pear, Intake, and Digestibility. Scientific production on FC is led by researchers from Brazil, notably from Northeastern Brazil. Publications on the economic evaluation, establishment and maintenance of promising species, soil conservation, micronutrient content and the use of FC as a supplementary source of water, are less frequent. These sub-areas suggest future lines of research that may be inter-institutional to increase collaboration networks between countries.
... Cacti can be used for a wide range of applications; in addition to their commercial value as a distinctive attribute, they play a role in combating soil erosion and desertification and serve as a natural fence for land reclamation (Nefzaoui et al. 2014;Paiva et al. 2016). Additionally, cacti are known for their exceptional biological and medicinal properties, attributed to their rich content of highly valuable chemical substances (Shedbalkar et al. 2010). ...
Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly known as prickly pear, holds significant importance within the Cactaceae family. It is broadly cultivated and distributed around the world, generally in arid, semi-arid, and Mediterranean climate zones. It is mostly propagated by seeds, as well as vegetatively through cuttings or grafting. Yet, these methods are still insufficient for large-scale propagation. To handle the main issues associated with these conventional propagation methods, the adoption of plant tissue culture has proved to be a feasible solution. Micropropagation techniques can produce an extremely high number of shoots from a single explant in a short period and within a limited space, which allows a high multiplication rate with homogeneity among propagated materials. However, the success of this technique relies on several factors, such as the type of explant, the nutrient formulation of the culture medium, and the type and amounts of plant growth regulators. This review marks the first comprehensive examination of the in vitro propagation method of areole activation employed for O. ficus-indica by stimulating axillary buds. Additionally, it covers different aspects, including explant selection, sterilization protocols, culture media formulation, plant growth regulators, and the necessary conditions for successful induction and multiplication of axillary buds.
... The most cultivated genera are Opuntia and Nopalea, with Opuntia ficus-indica being present in 57 countries and cultivated in over 20 countries. [1][2][3] Previous studies have investigated the performance of ruminants fed diets where cactus is the main source of nutrients, as well as nutritional disorders in animals consuming these diets. The main disorders reported are diarrhea, acidosis and tympanism. ...
Forage cactus is a major food grown in arid and semiarid regions, and serves as a nutraceutical for humans and a nutrient source for ruminants. However, high inclusion in ruminant diets may cause nutritional disorders like diarrhea. This review examines the chemical traits, sugars and microbiota of forage cactus and their link to pathogenic microbes in ruminants. Recent studies have linked diarrhea in animals to contamination of forage cactus with pathogenic microorganisms. This is attributed to the chemical characteristics of the plant, such as high moisture content and neutral detergent‐soluble carbohydrates (NDSCs). These characteristics make forage cactus a suitable substrate for the development of Escherichia coli and other pathogens in animal feed. Additionally, its high passage rate can favor the growth of pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms in the small and large intestines of ruminants, causing diarrhea. To mitigate these nutritional disorders, especially under smallholder management, the inclusion of cactus in the diet must be balanced. Practices such as using larger particle sizes, including a food source with lower NDSCs and higher fiber content, and ensiling can reduce the incidence of nutritional disorders in animals fed diets containing forage cactus. Complementary measures, such as improved hygiene and reducing the exposure time of crushed cactus to air, are crucial to further minimize risks. These practices enable the safe inclusion of higher proportions of forage cactus in ruminant diets, ensuring animal health and productivity. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.
... Moreover, cactus pear have a high potential to grow on severely eroded soils where other crops fail to grow makes it suitable to be grown as food and forage crop in deserts (Lucivania et al., 2018). Cactus pear may be grown as a strategic crop for combating desertification by reducing or partially controlling the soil erosion through its extensive root system El Mourid, 2009 andNefzaoui et al., 2014). Furthermore, it has drought tolerance, erratic weather conditions, minimum production cost (Neffar et al., 2013). ...
This study was conducted during two consecutive seasons of 2018 and 2019 at cactus pear orchard located on Abu Ghaleb area, "Cairo-Alexandria desert" road about 50km from Cairo, Egypt. The effects of nitrogen fertilization rate i.e. 120, 140 and 160g/plant/year and potassium fertilization rates i.e. 100, 120 and 140g/plant/year as well as their interactions on vegetative growth and cladodes nutrients content of El-shamia cactus pear plants were studied. Fertilization with nitrogen and potassium as well as their interaction improved plant height, plant canopy volume, number of cladodes per plant, cladode length, cladode width, cladode area and content of N, P, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu and B of cladodes.While, nitrogen rates had no significant effect on cladodes K content in first season and nitrogen at 160 and or 140 gave similar and high values of cladodes Fe content in both seasons. Moreover, potassium rates had no significant effect on cladodes K content in first season and cladodes Zn content in both seasons. The interaction between nitrogen at 160g/plant combined with potassium at 140g/plant proved to be the most efficient treatment in enhancing growth, nutrients content of cladodes and fruit yield of El-shamia cactus pear plants.
... Por ejemplo, una hectárea de Opuntia engelmannii produce hasta 100 toneladas de cladodios (hojas del nopal) al año, en zonas con precipitaciones promedio de 150 mm anuales (Ramírez-Lozano 2012). Aunque se reporta que las plantas suculentas contienen niveles bajos de nutrientes (Bautista-De-Luna et al. 2022), la importancia de su consumo radica en su aporte de agua, estrategia que la fauna silvestre utiliza ante lluvias escasas (Cain III et al. 2006, Nefzaoui et al. 2014. Por lo anterior, su presencia y disponibilidad son factores importantes para identificar y establecer zonas de reintroducción del borrego cimarrón en el noreste de México. ...
Tarango-Arámbula LA, Cantú-Ayala CM (2024) Estrategias forrajeras del borrego cimarrón (Ovis canadensis mexicana) en el noreste de México. Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios 11(1): e3921. Estrategias forrajeras del borrego cimarrón (Ovis canadensis mexicana) en el noreste de México Forage strategies of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) in northeastern Mexico
... Por ejemplo, una hectárea de Opuntia engelmannii produce hasta 100 toneladas de cladodios (hojas del nopal) al año, en zonas con precipitaciones promedio de 150 mm anuales (Ramírez-Lozano 2012). Aunque se reporta que las plantas suculentas contienen niveles bajos de nutrientes (Bautista-De-Luna et al. 2022), la importancia de su consumo radica en su aporte de agua, estrategia que la fauna silvestre utiliza ante lluvias escasas (Cain III et al. 2006, Nefzaoui et al. 2014. Por lo anterior, su presencia y disponibilidad son factores importantes para identificar y establecer zonas de reintroducción del borrego cimarrón en el noreste de México. ...
Comprender las preferencias alimentarias es importante para la conservación del borrego cimarrón. El objetivo fue identificar la selección de su dieta en Coahuila, México. La investigación se realizó en la UMA Rancho San Juan, municipio de Monclova, de agosto 2018 a octubre 2019. La disponibilidad de forraje se evaluó con 18 líneas de Canfield. La composición de la dieta se estimó con microhistología en 280 muestras fecales, y la diversidad de la dieta y del forraje con el índice de Shannon. Para analizar la similitud en el consumo de diferentes especies y la influencia estacional, se aplicaron análisis de clústers y componentes principales (ACP). Las arbustivas estuvieron más disponibles (48%). Se identificaron 50 especies y 14 familias en la dieta, y predominaron las arbustivas (49.2%) y los pastos (17.21%). Tiquilia canescens, Gymnosperma glutinosum, Opuntia rufida, Medicago sativa y Erioneuron pulchellum fueron las más consumidas. El borrego consumió especies arbóreas y arbustivas de manera proporcional (1.1 y 1.02, respectivamente), prefirió las herbáceas en primavera (2.24) y otoño (15.28), los pastos en primavera (6.10), y con excepción de verano (0.83), evitó las suculentas. El ACP reveló que los dos primeros componentes explican el 96.05% de la correlación entre las frecuencias de consumo de las especies y sus formas biológicas. El análisis de clústers agrupó cinco categorías de consumo de forraje. Es fundamental conservar las arbustivas, que constituyen la base de la dieta del borrego cimarrón, los pastos, que son sus preferidos, y las suculentas, como elementos amortiguadores.
In Morocco, Opuntia ficus-indica is grown in various climatic zones, each of which can greatly impact the soil quality and functioning. This study assesses the soil characteristics, bacterial load, functional microbial diversity, and enzymatic activities in O. ficus-indica soils from three distinct regions: Tafrant (subhumid), Fez (semi-arid), and Chichaoua (arid). Soil samples from these regions exhibited varying physicochemical properties, with neutral to alkaline pH, high concentrations of K, Na, and Ca, and biological activities, including microbial metabolic preferences and enzymatic activities. The data analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) revealed significant correlations in O ficus-indica soils across three regions of Morocco. In the subhumid region of Tafrant, there was a notable correlation between Shannon evenness index, amino acid metabolism by the microbial community, and β-galactosidase activity, with high levels of Fe, NH 4 + , and Cu. Conversely, in the semi-arid region of Fez, strong associations were observed between organic matter content, Mg, P, NO 3-N, and increased microbial load, average well color development (AWCD), carbohydrate and polymer metabolism, and elevated phosphatase activity. The arid region of Chichaoua exhibited a distinct correlation between K and Zn levels, urease activity, and the metabolism of amines and amides substrates. Our results highlight distinct variations in the physicochemical properties, microbial community function, and enzymatic activities of O. ficus-indica soils across the three Morocco's regions. These findings highlight ecosystem uniqueness and offer key insights for biodiversity conservation and soil fertility management. Introduction Arid and semi-arid regions cover almost 40 % of the Earth's surface, spanning approximately 66.7 million square kilometers * Corresponding authors.
Water scarcity and droughts are major challenges for cattle production in Iran due to the resulting feed shortages. Cactus plants were studied for 3 years (2017–2019) for their agronomic and water productivity. The study used a four‐replication randomized block design. Normal, moderate drought stress and severe drought stress irrigation were applied in 2017. The irrigation depths applied to the cactus plants were established by referencing cumulative pan evaporation values, with 100, 140 and 180 mm in 2017; 140, 190 and 240 mm in 2018; and 160, 210 and 260 mm in 2019, representing the total depth of water added during each irrigation event. In 2018 and 2019, the normal and severe drought stress treatments produced the most and least number of cladodes per plant, respectively. As dry stress increased, the cladode length, breadth and diameter decreased. Severe drought stress had the greatest potassium content and the lowest neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) concentrations. Normal irrigation had the greatest effect on water productivity in 2018 and 2019. The usual treatment produced the greatest fresh and dry yields in 2018 (57.3 and 4.51 t ha ⁻¹ ) and 2019 (112 and 8.97 t ha ⁻¹ ). Under mild drought stress, the crude protein content was 8%, and under severe drought stress, it was 7%. The results suggest that Kerman, Iran, can grow cactus with less water.
The objective of this study was to select progenies of Opuntia undulata Griffiths cv. African Elephant Ear (AEE) through morphological, productive, and nutritional traits, and also evaluate the repeatability and selection gain. The experiment was carried out between 2018 and 2020, in the semiarid region of Brazil. A completely randomized design was used, with ten replications. The treatments consisted of 12 progenies of Opuntia undulata cv. AEE. Morphological, productive, and nutritional characteristics were evaluated, also the selection gain and repeatability were estimated. There was a variation in the productivity of up to 11.2 t DM ha−1. Progenies number 6 and 7 stood out in terms of selection gain. Progenies 6, 7, 9, and 12 were the most productive. Progeny 6 stood out in terms of dry matter production and minor presence of spines; both traits are of great interest in breeding programs of forage cacti. Based on the repeatability analysis, fewer evaluations were enough to predict with confidence morphological traits and dry matter production in different progenies of Opuntia undulata Griffiths.
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