Abstract

VALDEZ-CEPEDA, Ricardo David et al. Fruit yield per cladode depends on its physical attributes in Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller variety 'Rojo Pelón'. Rev. Chapingo Ser.Hortic [online]. 2014, vol.20, n.2, pp.131-146. ISSN 2007-4034.  https://doi.org/10.5154/r.rchsh.2013.09.034.

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller species grows in a wide range of environmental conditions, which implies a great variability in fruit yield and fruit ripening, among other aspects. Therefore, the aim of this research work was to identify the dependences of fruit yield per cladode on fruiting cladode fresh or dry matter, on fruiting cladode length or width, and on the ratio of fruiting cladode length to fruiting cladode width. The boundary-line approach and data from 60 terminal one-year-old fruiting cladodes and their 480 fruits of O. ficus-indica variety 'Rojo Pelón' from 20 six-year-old trees distributed at a density of 625 plants·ha^-1 were used. Most fruiting cladodes with 144 g (minimum) to 964 g (maximum) of fresh matter had fruit yields of 409 g per cladode or even more, whereas most fruiting cladodes with 14.4 g (minimum) to 78.52 g (maximum) of dry matter had fruit yields of 409 g per cladode or even more. Fruiting cladode lengths from ≈21.8 cm to ≈38.4 cm, and fruiting cladode widths from ≈15.2 cm to ≈20.8 cm are linked to 90 % of their corresponding vertex (the estimated highest fruit yield per cladode). These measurements can be used to perform pruning in order to ensure high yields with fruits of acceptable fresh weight and suitable commercial size.

Keywords : One-year-old fruiting cladode; cactus pear; dry matter; fresh matter; cladode length; cladode width.

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