Soil volume: the effect of pot size on roots and canopy growth performance of cactus pear

Abstract

The influence of soil volume on roots and canopy growth performance of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) was studied at Palermo University. In November 2014, 1 year old Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes were planted in five different size of pots 49, 33, 18.5, 9 and 6 L. Three replicates (plants) per pot size were dug out at 6 and 12 months. The resulting experimental design was a randomized complete block design with three replications (each replication was one plant in one pot size). Roots were washed and roots length was manually measured. Roots fresh and dry weigh was obtained. Cladode surface area, cladode thickness, number of new cladodes, cladode fresh and dry mass were measured and recorded for each plant. Results indicate a significant effect of pot sizes (P<0.01) on root length, root fresh weight, and dry weight in both studied intervals. Roots of cuttings planted in pot sizes 49 and 33 L exhibited significantly the highest values of length, fresh and dry weight. Increasing the pot size enhanced the thickness, fresh and dry weight of the cladodes (P<0.01) in both interval but not the surface area. Mother cladode dry weight was affected by the smallest pot size (P<0.01). In the first interval, number of the new cladodes for both first and second generation was not affected by the pot size. On the contrary, in the second interval, pot size exhibited significant effect on new cladode production and pot sizes 49 and 33 L recorded the highest (P<0.05) number of new cladodes. In both intervals no second generation new cladodes were observed in 9 and 6 L pot sizes. In both intervals, the root dry weight was strongly correlated to the root length and fresh weight (r =0.89 to 0.99, P < 0.01), total cladodes fresh and dry weight (r =0.64 to 0.95, P < 0.01) and to mother cladode fresh weight (r =0.71 to 0.95, P < 0.01). These results suggest that the limitation of soil availability resulted in root and canopy growth limitation.

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IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
“CAM crops for a hotter and drier world”
Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
1
WELCOME
Dear colleagues, On behalf of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and FAO-
ICARDA International Technical Cooperation Network on Cactus, the University of Chile honored
to receive you at the IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL “CAM
crops for a hotter and drier world” and the General Meeting of the FAO-ICARDA International
Cooperation Network on Cactus Pear and cochineal (CACTUSNET), in Coquimbo, Chile, March
26th - 30th, 2017.
The University of Chile, with Dr. Fusa Sudzuki as convener, organized the II International
Congress on Cactus pear and Cochineal which was hosted in Santiago in 1992. This special
opportunity for hosting the IXth congress, allows us to bring back the congress to Chile, one of
the few countries worldwide were cactus pear fruits (“tunas”) are commonly consumed and
form part of the traditional diet. Many things have changed during these 25 years: Chile has
consolidated as one of the world leaders in the fresh fruit export industry and, regarding cacti,
new CAM-crops (eg. “Copao” [Eulychnia acida], pitahaya) are being developed. And the use
of Opuntias as a source of fodder and energy has grown in the country.
Now we have the opportunity to share these new developments with the international Cactus
community in the beautiful city of Coquimbo, at the southern margin of the driest desert of the
world (Atacama) along the Pacific coast and at the feet of the Andes mountain range. The city is
surrounded by valley oases which host a third of the Chilean cactus pear growing area. It shall
be our pleasure to welcome you back in Chile.
THE CONVENERS
Dr. Nicolas Franck
Centro de Estudios de Zonas Áridas y Depto. de Producción Agrícola. Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas.
Universidad de Chile. Santa Rosa 11315, Santiago, Chile.
E-mail: nfranck@uchile.cl
Prof. Dr. Carmen Sáenz
Departamento de Agroindustria y Enología, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas. Universidad de Chile.
Santa Rosa 11315, Santiago, Chile.
E-mail: csaenz@uchile.cl

IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
“CAM crops for a hotter and drier world”
Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
2
COMMITTEE
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Edmundo Acevedo (Chile)
José Dubeux (Brasil)
Herman Fouché (Coordinator of Sub-Saharian
Africa Region. ARC–API, South Africa)
Nicolás Franck (Chile)
Ian Homer (Chile)
Paolo Inglese (General Coordinator FAO-
ICARDA Cactusnet, Italy)
Harinder Makkar (FAO)
Candelario Mondragón (Mexico)
Giorgia Liguori (Italia).
Marcos Mora (Chile)
Ali Nefzaoui (Tunis)
Mónica Nazareno (Argentina)
Judith Ochoa (Argentina)
Liberato Portillo (Mexico)
Johan Potgieter (South Africa)
Loreto Prat (Chile)
Noemi Tel-Zur (Israel)
Carmen Sáenz (Chile)
Angélica Salvatierra (Chile)
M. Teresa Varnero (Chile)
SECRETARIAT OFFICE
Contact: E-mail of IX Cactus Congress: cactus congress2017 @gmail.com
Phones: +56 2 2978 573
Park Nobel Honorary President
Nicolás Franck & Carmen Sáenz Conveners
Paolo Inglese General Coordinator Cactusnet-FAO-ICARDA
Makiko Taguchi AGPM, FAO – Rome
Loreto Prat University of Chile
Marcos Mora University of Chile
Víctor Muñoz University of Chile
Mariano López Foundation for Agricultural Innovation (FIA, Chile)
Mounir Louhaichi ICARDA

IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
“CAM crops for a hotter and drier world”
Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
3
Edition Book of Abstract
Universidad de Chile
Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas (IHB)
Design of the Congress logo: Carmen Sáenz Escobar

IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
“CAM crops for a hotter and drier world”
Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
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INDEX
PAGE
WELCOME 1
COMMITTEE ....................................................................................................................................... 2
Organizing committee 2
Scientific committee 2
PROGRAMME .................................................................................................................................... 4
CONFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................19
CAM metabolism: reactions to climate change with a hotter and regionally drier world 19
Functional properties: actual frontier of native and improved cactus pear germplasm 20
Exploring the possibility of photosynthetic plasticity in Agave sensu lato 21
“Pitahayas – exotic species thriving in extreme desert conditions: challenges in developing a new
crop” 22
Cactus fruit production: where are we and where are we going to? 23
Cacti as an adaptation option for livestock feeding under changing climate in the dry areas 24
Cactus pear betalains as a source for coloring foods 25
Recent advances in medicinal and nutraceutical properties of cactus products 26
Integration of cactus in livestock production systems and reduction of the water foot print - a
climate-smart intervention 27
Session 1: Genetic resources and breeding of Opuntia .............................................................28
Morphological characterization of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) accessions from the
collection held at Agadir, Morocco 28
Multivariate analysis of phenotypic traits of forage cactus accessions in the semi-arid region of
Pernambuco, Brazil 29
Assessment of genetic diversity of Brazilian and Mediterranean cactus cultivars by SSR markers
and morphological traits 30
Assessment of four cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill) accessions for growth, yield and quality
parameters under pot culture 31
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of cladodes biomass from new selections of Opuntia ficus-
indica Mill. 32
Problematic of breeding by hybridization in cactus pear (Opuntia spp): apomixis or typical
mendelian inherence of a polyploid? 33

IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
“CAM crops for a hotter and drier world”
Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
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Occurrence of thorns in clones of spineless cactus ‘orelha de elefante mexicana’ ( Opuntia stricta
Haw.) 34
Development of a crop improvement programme for cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) in South
Africa 35
Genotype x environmental interactions of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) in the semi-arid
regions of South Africa: cladode production 36
Genotype x environmental interactions of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) in the semi-arid
regions of South Africa: fruit production 37
Screening of cladodes from 42 South African spineless cactus pear cultivars for human food
applications 38
Relationship among cultivated Opuntia ficus indica l. Genotypes and related species assessed
by chloroplast and mitochondrial markers 39
Epigenetic variations in Opuntia species following salt stress application 40
Effect of continuous high temperature in sporophytic microsporogenesis initiation of Opuntia
ficus-indica 41
Early adaptacion of five clones of Opuntia to agroclimatic diversity of northern Chile 42
Genotype x environment interactions of four clones of Opuntia established in Elqui and Codpa
valleys, Chile 43
Evaluation of some morphological and chemical characteristics of 38 accessions of spineless
cactus under Qatar environmental conditions 44
Determination of apomixis and polyploidization in Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. 45
Morphometric characterization of 36 wild variants of xoconostle (Opuntia spp.) From Zacatecas,
Mexico 46
Session 2: CAM plants as a source of forage and energy ..........................................................47
Assessment of different supplemental feeding strategies including cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica)
for higher sheep productivity in Chakwal, Pakistan 47
Replacement of forage cactus ‘miúda’ by ‘orelha de elefante mexicana’ in the diet of lactating
crossbred cows 48
Nutritional evaluation of selected cactus pear (Opuntia ficus indica) cultivars of Tigray, northern
Ethiopia 49
The effect of supplementation of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus indica) with Sesbania sesban on the
performance of sheep 50
Morphometry of rumen and intestinal tissues of sheep with dietary levels of forage cactus and
water restriction 51
Influence of varieties of forage cactus resistant to cochineal on growth performance of goats 52
Morphological characterization of Opuntia sps. Accessions for potential use as a forage crop in
dry areas of Bolivia 53
Nutritive characterization of cladodes of sixteen cultivars of Spineless cactus from different
geographic origins 54
Assessing the performance of osmanabadi goats by feeding spineless cactus under field
conditions 55
Influence of feeding spineless cactus on growth performance of Osmanabadi goat kids 56
Cactus pear as possible energy source for semi-arid environments 57

IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
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Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
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Energy recovery from waste and by-products of the cactus produced in Italy: preliminary work 58
Evaluation of cactus pear silages on growing lambs 59
Cropping system and manure source affects cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera Salm Dyck.)
productivity 60
Valorisation of nopal cladodes and seeds 61
Potential production of biogas from plantations of Opuntia ficus indica available in the chilean
“Norte chico”: an assessment 62
Effect of cactus addition to the diet of lactating sows on feed intake and productive behavior 63
Nutritive value of ‘raketamena’ [Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw.] as a fodder in Madagascar 64
Ex – situ evaluation of creole tuna (Opuntia ficus-indica) establishment on amended mine tailings65
Liver function of sheep fed cactus species resistant to Dactylopius sp 66
Serum profile of macrominerals in sheep fed cactus species resistant to Dactylopius sp 67
Increasing planting density reduces height and width of cactus 68
Nutrient concentration in spineless cactus under different planting densities and harvesting
management 69
Nutrient composition and in vitro digestibility of cactus pear cladodes (Opuntia rastrera) at
different localities of northeast Mexico 70
Cactus pear’s potential to sustain livestock production in drought stricken areas: a case study of
oppermans community in the Free State province of South Africa 71
Session 3: towards a hotter and drier world: ecophysological adaptations of Opuntia and
new CAM crops................................................................................................................................72
Behavior of selections of Eulychnia acida Phil. Under irrigation conditions, after 8 years 72
Reproductive phenology of facheiro in Agreste of Paraíba, Brazil 73
Water use efficiency of cactus pear and pitahaya as compared to other arid zone adapted fruit
trees 74
Transpiration study in cactus pear (Opuntia ficus indica) 75
CO2 or light: what limits carbon assimilation of growing cactus pear cladodes? 76
Spineless cactus in the arabian peninsula: adaptive behaviors and production performances 77
Soil volume: the effect of pot size on roots and canopy growth performance of cactus pear 78
The use of wild and cultivated cacti in northern province of Cordoba, Argentina 79
Anatomical investigation of emasculation and gibberellic acid effects on early seed development
of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. 80
Caracterization of rumba fruits (Corryocactus brevistylus) from northern Chile 81
Predicting of stomatal conductance in Opuntia ficus indica 82
Cactus pear roots turnover and total carbon sequestration rate depends on soil volume
availability 83
Relative water content as indicator of plant water status of ‘roja dalia’ cactus pear under irrigation
regimens 84
Palatable cacti fruits from northern Chile as an agro industrial alternative resource 85
Regulation of stomatal opening via phototropins – blue light receptors – in the CAM plant
Hylocereus undatus 86

IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
“CAM crops for a hotter and drier world”
Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
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Fruit quality and flower volatiles of the columnar cacti Cereus peruvianus and Cereus jamacaru87
Influence of the nurse plant effect of Prosopis flexuosa dc. On nutrient contents and productivity
of Opuntia ellisiana Griffiths
88
Session 4: fruit production: orchard and fruit management ......................................................89
Relationships between fruit attributes and fruiting cladode dry or fresh matter in Opuntia ficus-
indica (L.) Miller variety ‘rojo pelón’ 89
Effect of GA3 + Ethephon on glochid removal and cactus pear fruit quality 90
Fruiting cladode physical attributes of Opuntia ficus-indica (l.) Miller variety ‘rojo pelón’ differ
among years 91
Evaluation of Opuntia ficus-indica as a multi-purpose species under west Asia conditions 92
Propagation of Opuntia ficus-indica Mill. by cladode fragments 93
Impact of cladode “acorazonamiento” on cactus pear commercial orchards 94
Climatic influences on fruit quality and sensory traits: a five-year evaluation 95
Influence of age of cladode, growth hormone and cladode pieces on propagation of cactus pear
(Opuntia ficus indica) 96
Effect of fruit ripening on morphological and chemical characteristics of Opuntia ficus indica from
Morocco 97
In vitro propagation of selected Opuntia species with temporary immersion systems for large-
scale production 98
Situation analysis of Opuntia ficus indica in Morocco 99
Effect of fruit load on cactus pear fruit size and quality under mediterranean and tropical climatic
conditions 100
Effect of 1-MCP on cactus pear fruit at different maturity stages during storage 101
Reducing postharvest decay in cactus pears by dip treatments with imazalil or azoxystrobin 102
Quality changes an marketability of waxed cactus pears cv gialla during storage 103
Rumpa a cactus with commercial potential for gourmet market and others in the Metropolitan
Region, Chile 104
Preferences toward cactus pear in minimum process: an approach from the consumer through
graphics stimulus 105
Supplemental irrigation improves water use efficiency, yield, and fruit quality of ‘roja dalia’ cactus
pear 106
Session 5: agro-industrial uses of CAM crops ..........................................................................107
Nutritional and technological qualities of the fruits of ten moroccan ecotypes of cactus pear
(Opuntia ficus-indica) 107
Sensory characteristics and physicochemical stability of pitaya fruit (Stenocereus queretaroensis
Weber) liquor 108
Elaboration of lipstick with cactus pear seed oil and cochineal carmine 109
Phenolic compounds in fruit-producing cacti 110
The rheological characterization of reconstituted freeze-dried mucilage for application in
nutraceutical food products 111

IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
“CAM crops for a hotter and drier world”
Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
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Cactus pear mucilage: functional properties 112
Characterization of chilean consumers’ attitudes and preferences toward different cactus pear
colors 113
Sherbets from yellow-orange and purple cactus pear 114
Gummy confections from cactus pear: chemical characteristics, texture profile and sensory quality115
Betacyanin profile of pilosocereus catingicola (Gürke) Byles & Rowley subsp. Salvadorensis
(Werderm.) zappi (Cactaceae) 116
Variability of phenolic compounds content and flavonoid in cactus pear varieties of Opuntia and
Nopalea genres 117
Encapsulated cactus pigments as food colorants. Stability and uses in a food model system 118
Comparative study of the encapsulation of betaxanthins (Opuntia megacantha) by spray drying
and ionic gelation 119
Bioactive compounds from Opuntia ficus-indica in nanotechnology: biosynthesis of silver
nanoparticles and applications 120
Effect of fermentation on the bioactive compound composition and antioxidant potential of
Opuntia sp. fruit juices 121
Microencapsulation of colorants from cactus fruit peel with mucilage and cellulose microfibers
from cladodes 122
Selected characteristics of Opuntia dillenii Cactus Beverage and impact of thermal and non-
thermal pasteurization 124
Coloring foods from yellow-orange cactus pear 125
Betalain stability in dry mixes for instant beverages 126
Improvement of oxidative stress tolerance in saccharomyces cerevisiae by fermented cactus
pear juice supplementation 127
Session 6: pharmaceutical uses of CAM-crops and cochineal. ...............................................128
Predicting the impact of climate change on future cactus and Cochineal distribution in Tigray,
Ethiopia 128
Preparation and method of composition of herbal biopesticide for the management of cochineal
insect of cactus in Tigray, Ethiopia 129
The wound healing effect of cactus pear oil 130
Rearing cochineal (Dactylopius coccus Costa) under covered structural tubing conditions in
Mexico 131
Evaluation of analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcerogenic activities of Opuntia ficus-indica
F. inermis cladodes extract in rats 132
Cochineal infestation, control measures and current status in Tigray cactus (Opuntia ficus
indica), Ethiopia 133
Incidence of cochineal insects in cactus pear genotypes in the semiarid region of Pernambuco134
Comparison production of cochineal in two companies in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico 135
Cactus pear and cochineals: good agricultural practices and control 136
Exochomus childreni Mulsant (coleoptera: Coccinellindae) predator of Dactylopius opuntiae
(Cockerell) (hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) 137

IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
“CAM crops for a hotter and drier world”
Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
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Protective effect of cactus cladode extract against chlorpyrifos-induced immunotoxicity, oxidative
stress and genotoxicity in rats 138
Session 7: Rural development and marketing. ..........................................................................139
Potential of Opuntia spp. Seed oil for livelihood improvement in semi-arid Madagascar 139
Changing perception of small holders about cactus pear in South Asia 140
Cactus pear research production, impact and trends in mainstream journals 141
The effect of fostering partnerships on broadening the food base: the role of cactus pear, an
underutilised crop with unlimited potential, the South African perspective 142
Research and development scenario of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus indica ll.) in Tigray, Ethiopia143
Cactus crop (Opuntia ficus-indica) to rehabilitate rangelands in semi-arid regions of Tunisia 144
WORKSHOP: GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF OPUNTIA ......................................................145
AUTHOR INDEX .............................................................................................................................146

SESSION 3: Towards a hotter and drier world: ecophysological adaptations of Opuntia and new CAM crops
IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
“CAM crops for a hotter and drier world”
Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
78
SOIL VOLUME: THE EFFECT OF POT SIZE ON ROOTS AND CANOPY GROWTH
PERFORMANCE OF CACTUS PEAR
Hassan, S.1,2; Liguori, G. 1; Sortino, G.1; Louhaichi, M.2; Inglese, P.1
1Università degli Studi di Palermo, Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, 90128 Palermo (Italy).
2International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), PO Box 950764, Amman
11195 (Jordan). Email: s.hassan@cgiar.org
The influence of soil volume on roots and canopy growth performance of cactus pear
(Opuntia ficus-indica) was studied at Palermo University. In November 2014, 1 year old
Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes were planted in five different size of pots 49, 33, 18.5, 9
and 6 L. Three replicates (plants) per pot size were dug out at 6 and 12 months. The
resulting experimental design was a randomized complete block design with three
replications (each replication was one plant in one pot size). Roots were washed and
roots length was manually measured. Roots fresh and dry weigh was obtained.
Cladode surface area, cladode thickness, number of new cladodes, cladode fresh and
dry mass were measured and recorded for each plant. Results indicate a significant
effect of pot sizes (P<0.01) on root length, root fresh weight, and dry weight in both
studied intervals. Roots of cuttings planted in pot sizes 49 and 33 L exhibited
significantly the highest values of length, fresh and dry weight. Increasing the pot size
enhanced the thickness, fresh and dry weight of the cladodes (P<0.01) in both interval
but not the surface area. Mother cladode dry weight was affected by the smallest pot
size (P<0.01). In the first interval, number of the new cladodes for both first and second
generation was not affected by the pot size. On the contrary, in the second interval, pot
size exhibited significant effect on new cladode production and pot sizes 49 and 33 L
recorded the highest (P<0.05) number of new cladodes. In both intervals no second
generation new cladodes were observed in 9 and 6 L pot sizes. In both intervals, the
root dry weight was strongly correlated to the root length and fresh weight (r =0.89 to
0.99, P < 0.01), total cladodes fresh and dry weight (r =0.64 to 0.95, P < 0.01) and to
mother cladode fresh weight (r =0.71 to 0.95, P < 0.01). These results suggest that the
limitation of soil availability resulted in root and canopy growth limitation.
Keywords: Opuntia ficus-indica, roots/canopy mass, roots length, roots surface area,
cladodes mass

IX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON CACTUS PEAR AND COCHINEAL
“CAM crops for a hotter and drier world”
Coquimbo, Chile, March 26th - 30th, 2017
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