PRICKLY-PEAR (OPUNTIA SPP) - A VALUABLE FRUIT CROP FOR THE SEMIARID LANDS OF MEXICO

During the last decade the prickly pear has become an important fruit crop in the semi-arid lands of Mexico, where it plays a strategic role in subsistence agriculture. The cultivated plants are grown in modern organized plantations and in the backyards of rural homes. Among the cultivated varieties there are differences in fruit ripening time, fru it size and quality. Most of the varieties show ripening from July to September. Fruit weight varies from 144 to 240 g and the fruits with t he higher weight are found in varieties that produce clear-green fruit s. The nutritive value of most varieties compares favourably with othe r fruit crops. Variation is also found in the seed oil content; most o f the fatty acids are unsaturated with linoleic acid as the main acid present. The backyards of rural homes in the semi-arid regions of Mexi co constitute authentic reservoirs of prickly pear germplasm that coul d be valuable for future breeding programs. The opportunity and need f or basic and applied research in prickly pear, oriented to improving f ruit quality, adaptability and the industrial transformation of both v egetative and reproductive parts, is also discussed.