Opuntia ficus-indica

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Opuntia ficus-indica
Dikenli Incir (Opuntia ficus-indica) Gaziantep Turkey.IMG 1104.jpg
Opuntia ficus-indica community growing naturally in Gaziantep, Turkey
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Opuntia
Species:
O. ficus-indica
Binomial name
Opuntia ficus-indica
Synonyms [2]
  • Cactus decumanusWilld.
  • NopalWilld.
  • Cactus ficus-indicaL.
  • Opuntia amyclaeaTen.
  • Opuntia cordobensisSpeg.
  • Opuntia decumana (Willd.) Haw.
  • Opuntia ficus-barbaricaA.Berger
  • Opuntia gymnocarpaF.A.C.Weber
  • Opuntia hispanicaGriffiths
  • Opuntia maximaMill.
  • Opuntia megacanthaSalm-Dyck
  • Opuntia paraguayensisK.Schum.

Opuntia ficus-indica, the Indian fig opuntia, fig opuntia, or prickly pear, is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant grown in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. [3] O. ficus-indica is the most widespread and most commercially important cactus. [2] [3] It is grown primarily as a fruit crop, and also for the vegetable nopales and other uses. Cacti are good crops for dry areas because they efficiently convert water into biomass. O. ficus-indica, as the most widespread of the long-domesticated cactuses, is as economically important as maize and blue agave in Mexico. Opuntia species hybridize easily, but the wild origin of O. ficus-indica is likely to have been in central Mexico, where its closest genetic relatives are found. [4]

Contents

Names

Most culinary references to the "prickly pear" refer to this species. The Spanish name tuna is also used for the fruit of this cactus and for Opuntia in general; according to Alexander von Humboldt, it was a word of Taino origin taken into the Spanish language around 1500. [5]

Common English names for the plant and its fruit are Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, prickly pear, and spineless cactus, among many others. [3] In Mexican Spanish, the plant is called nopal, a name that may be used in American English as culinary terms. Peninsular Spanish mostly uses higo chumbo for the fruit and chumbera for the plant. [6]

Description

Flowering Opuntia ficus-indica (Indian Fig) flowering at Secunderabad, AP W IMG 6673.jpg
Flowering
Flower Opuntia ficus-indica4.jpg
Flower
Fruit Opuntia ficus-indica fruit9.jpg
Fruit

O. ficus-indica is polyploid, hermaphroditic, and autogamous. [7] As Opuntia species grow in semiarid environments, the main limiting factor in their environment is water. They have developed several adaptations to dry conditions, notably succulence. [8]

A perennial shrub, O. ficus-indica can grow up to 5 m in height, with thick, succulent, and oblong to spatulate stems called cladodes. It has a water-repellent and sun-reflecting waxy epidermis. Cladodes 1–2 years old produce flowers, with the fruit's colours ranging from pale green to deep red. [7]

The plants flower in three distinct colours: white, yellow, and red. The flowers first appear in early May through the early summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the fruits ripen from August through October.[ citation needed ] The fruits are typically eaten, minus the thick outer skin, after chilling in a refrigerator for a few hours. They have a taste similar to sweet watermelon. The bright red/purple or white/yellowish flesh contains many tiny hard seeds that are usually swallowed but should be avoided by those who have problems digesting seeds.

Uses

Human consumption

Sliced nopales Nopales Cortados.jpg
Sliced nopales

O. ficus-indica is consumed widely as food. [3] The fruits are commercialized in many parts of the world, eaten raw, and have one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C of any fruit. [3] The young "leaves" (actually cladodes, which technically are stems) are cooked and eaten as a vegetable known as nopalitos. [3] They are sliced into strips, skinned or unskinned, and fried with eggs and jalapeños, served as a breakfast treat. They have a texture and flavor like green beans. The fruits or leaves can be boiled, used raw, or blended with fruit juice, cooked on a frying pan, used as a side dish with chicken, or added to tacos. Jams and jellies are produced from the fruit, which resemble strawberries and figs in color and flavor. [3] Mexicans may use Opuntia fruit to make an alcoholic drink called colonche . [9]

In Sicily, a prickly pear-flavored liqueur called ficodi is produced, flavored somewhat like a medicinal aperitif. In Malta, a liqueur called bajtra (the Maltese name for prickly pear) is made from this fruit, which grows wild in almost every field. On the island of Saint Helena, the prickly pear also gives its name to locally distilled liqueur, Tungi Spirit .

Fodder

The cattle industry of the Southwest United States has begun to cultivate O. ficus-indica, [3] [10] both as a feed source for cattle and a boundary fence. Cattle are normally fed a spineless variety of the cactus. [10] The cactus pads are low in dry matter and crude protein but useful as a supplement in drought conditions. In addition to the food value, the moisture content adequately eliminates watering the cattle during drought. [10] Numerous wildlife species use the prickly pear for food. [10] In severe drought years, the spines of wild prickly pear are sometimes burned off for emergency feed.

Soil erosion prevention

O. ficus-indica is planted in hedges to provide a cheap but effective erosion control in the Mediterranean basin. Under those hedges and adjacent areas, soil physical properties, nitrogen, and organic matter are considerably improved. The structural stability of the soil is enhanced, runoff and erosion are reduced, and water storage capacity and permeability are enhanced. [11] Prickly pear plantations also positively impact the plant growth of other species by improving severe environmental conditions, which facilitate the colonization and development of herbaceous species. [12]

O. ficus-indica is being advantageously used in Tunisia and Algeria to slow and direct sand movement and enhance the restoration of vegetative cover, thus minimizing deterioration of built terraces with its deep and strong rooting system. [13]

Other

The plant may be used as an ingredient in adobe to bind and waterproof roofs. [4] O. ficus-indica (as well as other species in Opuntia and Nopalea) is cultivated in nopalries to serve as a host plant for cochineal insects, which produce desirable red and purple dyes, [3] a practice dating to the pre-Columbian era. [14]

Mucilage from prickly pear may work as a natural, non-toxic dispersant for oil spills. [15]

Mexico has a semicommercial pilot plant for biofuel production from Opuntia biomass, in operation since 2016. [16]

Cultivation

Distribution

In Secunderabad, India Opuntia ficus-indica (Indian Fig) at Secunderabad, AP W IMG 6674.jpg
In Secunderabad, India

Commercial use for O. ficus-indica is for the large, sweet fruits called tunas. An area with a significant tuna-growing cultivation is Mexico. [17] The cactus grows wild and cultivated to heights of 12–16 feet (3.7–4.9 m). In Namibia, O. ficus-indica is a common drought-resistant fodder plant. [18] O. ficus-indica grows in many frost-free areas of the world, including the Southern United States. [19] It is naturalized with widespread distribution in Greece. [20]

Prickly pears are a massive weed problem for some parts of Australia, especially southeast Queensland, some inland parts of New South Wales, Victoria, and south-eastern and eastern South Australia. [21] [22] [23] [24]

Opuntia ficus-indica in Kythera. OpunitaFicusIndicaKythira.jpg
Opuntia ficus-indica in Kythera.

The plant is considered an invasive species in northern Africa. [3] [25]

Growth

Factors that limit the growth of prickly pear are rainfall, soil, atmospheric humidity, and temperature. [26] Its minimum rainfall requirement is 200 mm per year as long as the soils are sandy and deep. The ideal growth conditions regarding rainfall are 200–400 mm (7.9–15.7 in) per year. [11]

O. ficus-indica is sensitive to lack of oxygen in the root zone, requiring well-drained soils. [11] It is similar to crassulacean acid metabolism species, which are not salt-tolerant in their root zone, and growth may cease under high salt concentration. [11] O. ficus-indica usually grows in regions where relative humidity is above 60%, and saturation deficit[ further explanation needed ] occurs. [11] It is absent in regions where less than 40% humidity occurs for more than a month. [26] Mean daily temperature required to develop is at least 1.5–2.0 °C. At −10 to −12 °C, prickly pear growth is inhibited even if it is exposed to these temperatures only for a few minutes. The maximum temperature limit of prickly pear is above 50 °C. [11]

Harvest and preparation

As the fruits of O. ficus-indica are delicate, they need to be carefully harvested by hand. The small spines on the fruits are removed by rubbing them on an abrasive surface or sweeping them through the grass. Before consumption, they are peeled. [27]

The pads of the plant (mainly used as fodder) also must be harvested by hand. The pads are cut with a knife, detaching the pad from the plant in the joint. If O. ficus-indica is cultivated for forage production, spineless cultivars are preferred, but wild plants are also used as fodder. In these cases, the spines must be removed from the pads to avoid animal damage. Primarily, this is achieved by burning the spines off the pads. [8]

Nutrients and phytochemicals

O. ficus-indica for human and animal consumption is valuable for its water content in an arid environment, containing about 85% water as a water source for wildlife. [8] The seeds contain 3–10% protein and 6–13% of fatty acids, mainly linoleic acid. [7] [28] However, the seeds contained in the fruits can be unpleasant to chew because of their hardness and can lead to constipation. [29] [30] [31] For this reason, some agronomic studies in Italy and Mexico have focused on decreasing the seed content of Opuntia ficus-indica fruits. [32] [33]

As the fruit contains vitamin C (containing 25–30 mg per 100 g), [7] [34] it was once used to mitigate scurvy. [35] Opuntia contains selenium. [36]

The red color of the fruit and juice is due to betalains, (betanin and indicaxanthin). [37] The plant also contains flavonoids, such as quercetin, isorhamnetin, [38] and kaempferol. [39]

Biogeography

DNA analysis indicated O. ficus-indica was domesticated from Opuntia species native to central Mexico. [4] The Codex Mendoza, and other early sources, show Opuntia cladodes, as well as cochineal dye (which must be cultivated on Opuntia), in Aztec tribute rolls.[ citation needed ] The plant spread to many parts of the Americas in pre-Columbian times. Since Columbus, it has spread to many parts of the world, especially the Mediterranean, where it has become naturalized.

Cultural significance

The coat of arms of Mexico. Coat of arms of Mexico.svg
The coat of arms of Mexico.

The prickly pear appears in the coat of arms of Mexico which appears on the flag of Mexico. It is also the official plant of Texas by legislation from 1995. [40] In Israel it symbolizes Jews born in Israel - sabra or tzabar. The Palestinians also view it as a national symbol.





Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cactus</span> Family of mostly succulent plants, adapted to dry environments

A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word cactus derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek word κάκτος (káktos), a name originally used by Theophrastus for a spiny plant whose identity is now not certain. Cacti occur in a wide range of shapes and sizes. They are native to the Americas, ranging from Patagonia in the south to parts of western Canada in the north, with the exception of Rhipsalis baccifera, which is also found in Africa and Sri Lanka. Cacti are adapted to live in very dry environments, including the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. Because of this, cacti show many adaptations to conserve water. For example, almost all cacti are succulents, meaning they have thickened, fleshy parts adapted to store water. Unlike many other succulents, the stem is the only part of most cacti where this vital process takes place. Most species of cacti have lost true leaves, retaining only spines, which are highly modified leaves. As well as defending against herbivores, spines help prevent water loss by reducing air flow close to the cactus and providing some shade. In the absence of true leaves, cacti's enlarged stems carry out photosynthesis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parthenocarpy</span> Production of seedless fruit without fertilisation

In botany and horticulture, parthenocarpy is the natural or artificially induced production of fruit without fertilisation of ovules, which makes the fruit seedless. The phenomenon has been observed since ancient times but was first scientifically described by German botanist Fritz Noll in 1902.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nopal</span> Fruit of the Opuntia cactus

Nopal is a common name in Spanish for Opuntia cacti, as well as for its pads.

<i>Cactoblastis cactorum</i> Species of moth

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 genus Cactoblastis that inhabit South America, where many parasitoids, predators and pathogens control the expansion of the moths' population. This species has been introduced into many areas outside its natural range, including Australia, the Caribbean, and South Africa. In some locations, it has spread uncontrollably and was consequently classified an invasive species. However, in other places such as Australia, it has gained favor for its role in the biological control of cacti from the genus Opuntia, such as prickly pear.

<i>Opuntia engelmannii</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia engelmannii is a prickly pear common across the south-central and Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It goes by a variety of common names, including desert prickly pear, discus prickly pear, Engelmann's prickly pear in the US, and nopal, abrojo, joconostle, and vela de coyote in Mexico.

Tungi Spirit is the name given to a distilled product made in Saint Helena from the fruit of the prickly or cactus pear.

<i>Opuntia phaeacantha</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia phaeacantha is a species of prickly pear cactus known by the common names brown-spine prickly pear, tulip prickly pear, and desert prickly pear found across the southwestern United States, lower Great Plains, and northern Mexico. The plant forms dense but localized thickets. Several varieties of this particular species occur, and it may hybridize with other prickly pears, making identification sometimes tricky.

<i>Opuntia monacantha</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia monacantha, commonly known as drooping prickly pear, cochineal prickly pear, or Barbary fig, is a species of plant in the family Cactaceae native to South America.

<i>Opuntia basilaris</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia basilaris, the beavertail cactus or beavertail pricklypear, is a cactus species found in the southwest United States. It occurs mostly in the Mojave, Anza-Borrego, and Colorado Deserts, as well as in the Colorado Plateau and northwest Mexico. It is also found throughout the Grand Canyon and Colorado River region as well as into southern Utah and Nevada, and in the western Arizona regions along the Lower Colorado River Valley.

<i>Opuntia humifusa</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia humifusa, commonly known as the devil's-tongue, eastern prickly pear or Indian fig, is a cactus of the genus Opuntia present in parts of the eastern United States, Mississippi and northeastern Mexico.

<i>Opuntia</i> Genus of cactus

Opuntia, commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Prickly pear alone is more commonly used to refer exclusively to the fruit, but may also be used for the plant itself; in addition, other names given to the plant and its specific parts include tuna (fruit), sabra, sabbar, nopal from the Nahuatl word nōpalli, nostle (fruit) from the Nahuatl word nōchtli, and paddle cactus. The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves. The most common culinary species is the Indian fig opuntia (O. ficus-indica).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isorhamnetin</span> Chemical compound

Isorhamnetin is an O-methylated flavon-ol from the class of flavonoids. A common food source of this 3'-methoxylated derivative of quercetin and its glucoside conjugates are pungent yellow or red onions, in which it is a minor pigment, quercetin-3,4'-diglucoside and quercetin-4'-glucoside and the aglycone quercetin being the major pigments. Pears, olive oil, wine and tomato sauce are rich in isorhamnetin. Almond skin is a rich source of isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, in some cultivars they comprise 75% of the polyphenol content, the total of which can exceed 10 mg/100 gram almond. Others sources include the spice, herbal medicinal and psychoactive Mexican tarragon (Tagetes lucida), which is described as accumulating isorhamnetin and its 7-O-glucoside derivate. Nopal is also a good source of isorhamnetin, which can be extracted by supercritical fluid extraction assisted by enzymes.

<i>Opuntia macrocentra</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia macrocentra, the long-spined purplish prickly pear or purple pricklypear, is a cactus found in the lower Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. A member of the prickly pear genus, this species of Opuntia is most notable as one of a few cacti that produce a purple pigmentation in the stem. Other common names for this plant include black-spined pricklypear, long-spine prickly pear, purple pricklypear, and redeye prickly pear.

Opuntia matudae, or xoconostle, is a cactus native to Mexico. It is sometimes treated as a synonym of Opuntia hyptiacantha. In 2019, a genetic study supported keeping the taxa distinct.

<i>Dactylopius</i> Genus of insects

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, a name that also specifically refers to the best-known species, the cochineal. The cochineal is an insect of economic and historical importance as a main source of the red dye carmine. It has reportedly been used for this purpose in the Americas since the 10th century. Genus Dactylopius is also important because several species have been used as agents of biological pest control, and because several are known as invasive species.

<i>Opuntia rufida</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia rufida is a species of prickly pear cactus native to southwestern Texas and northern Mexico, where it grows on rocky slopes. The species makes up for its total lack of spines with a profusion of red-brown glochids. The common name blind prickly pear or cow blinder comes from the fact that the glochids may be carried away by the wind and blind animals.

Opuntia ficus-indica is a plant that has been part of the landscape of South Africa for over 250 years.

<i>Opuntia sulphurea</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia sulpurea falls under the Opuntia, or prickly pear, genus within the family Cacataceae named such because of their round shape, green color, and long thick spines. Opuntia sulphurea is the widest spread of the Opuntia that can be found in and around Argentina, occupying mostly arid areas of the region from the plains in the Western portion of Argentina up to much higher altitudes on the Eastern side of the Andes mountain range. As a result of its ability to survive in such a diverse array of environments there are several subspecies of O. sulphurea that are identifiable based on the number of spine per areole, for example. A commonality across the three is a bright yellow flower, often considered to be the color of sulfur, from which the species name is derived. As with several other species of Opuntia, these prickly pears tend to grow in groups, forming clumps that can reach one to two meters in diameter, but while other species within the genus grow upwards as well O. sulphurea tend to stay low to the ground. As a result of its tendency to grow in dry, arid, and rocky areas this cactus has evolved to be very resilient, not even suffering from the effects of agriculture, i.e. cattle grazing, on lower altitude subpopulations.

<i>Opuntia austrina</i> Species of cactus

Opuntia austrina, also known as the Florida prickly pear, is a prickly pear cactus species that is endemic to Florida in the United States.

<i>Dactylopius opuntiae</i> Species of scale insect

Dactylopius opuntiae, also known as the prickly pear cochineal, is a species of scale insect in the family Dactylopiidae.

References

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  32. ↑ Marini, Lorenzo; Grassi, Chiara; Fino, Pietro; Calamai, Alessandro; Masoni, Alberto; Brilli, Lorenzo; Palchetti, Enrico (2020-08-17). "The Effects of Gibberellic Acid and Emasculation Treatments on Seed and Fruit Production in the Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) cv. "Gialla"". Horticulturae. 6 (3): 46. doi: 10.3390/horticulturae6030046 . ISSN   2311-7524.
  33. ↑ Mejía, Alfredo; Cantwell, Marita (2003). "Prickly Pear Fruit Development and Quality in Relation to Gibberellic Acid Applications to Intact and Emasculated Flower Buds" (PDF). Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development. 5: 72–85.
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  39. ↑ Kuti Joseph O. (2004). "Antioxidant compounds from four Opuntia cactus pear fruit varieties". Food Chemistry. 85 (4): 527–533. doi:10.1016/S0308-8146(03)00184-5.
  40. ↑ "Texas State Symbols".
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