Plate 1. Opuntia is the plant of choice for reclamation of eroded and degraded lands in Mexico and several countries of North Africa. It is also planted to improve productivity of overgrazed areas.
A) Opuntia plantation in a semiarid area of Northern Mexico intended for vegetative cover recovery.
A) J.J. Lopez
B) Soil conservation in Tunisia takes advantage of Opuntia tolerance to drought and its high productivity.
B) A. Nefzaoui
C) Opuntia planted in a subtropical area of south central Mexico to reinforce simple soil conservation works.
C) C. Flores
D) A grassland recovery project in Central Mexico includes rainwater collection and spiny Opuntia for fruit and fodder production.
D) C. Flores
Plate 2. Opuntia pads are chopped before feeding to cattle.
A) Small electrical chopper from Brazil.
A) D. Cordeiro
B) A machine from Northern Mexico designed for a medium size dairy operation.
B) J.J. Lopez
C) Delivering of whole pads in Brazil.
C) D. Cordeiro
D) Manual chopping of spineless Opuntia pads in Tunisia. The mechanical devices are of local design and are usually built to order in small metal shops.
D) A. Nefzaoui
Plate 3. Cultivation of Opuntia can be adjusted to the needs and possibilities of the area.
A) High density plantation in broadbeds in central Mexico for intensive production and fodder Opuntia. Plants can be harvested annually or every other year, limited irrigation is sometimes provided.
A) C. Mondragon
B) Rainfed plantation in Northeastern Brazil. Plants are harvested in the third year.
B) D. Cordeiro
C) Barley inter-cropped in rows of Opuntia, increasing land use ratio and the number of products obtained from a single piece of land: cereal grain and stover, as well as fresh Opuntia pads suitable for animal feeding.
C) A. Nefzaoui
D) Spineless Opuntia planted in rows for fodder production in Mendoza, Argentina.
D) C. Guevara
Plate 4. Spineless Opuntia selected for fodder production.
A) CPF1, obtained by the late F. Barrientos at Chapingo, Mexico.
A) C. Mondragon
Many of the spineless O. ficus-indica can have more than one use, fruit and fodder production is an interesting combination. “Amarilla Grande” selected for its big juicy fruits and spineles cladodes “Selección Pabellon” which produces red fruit are some examples.
B), C. Mondragon
Many of the spineless O. ficus-indica can have more than one use, fruit and fodder production is an interesting combination. “Amarilla Grande” selected for its big juicy fruits and spineles cladodes “Selección Pabellon” which produces red fruit are some examples.
C), C. Mondragon
Many of the spineless O. ficus-indica can have more than one use, fruit and fodder production is an interesting combination. “Amarilla Grande” selected for its big juicy fruits and spineles cladodes “Selección Pabellon” which produces red fruit are some examples.
D) C. Mondragon
