Prickly pear: Cultivation, main pests, and their management in Mexico

2000Agro/Editorial The prickly pear is a of the most popular fruits in Mexico, where there is a production annual that exceeds 400,000 tons per year, according to the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (Sader). This fruit, coming from the plant nopal, is popular as a seasonal fruit that has a refreshing and important concentrations of nutrients, at a very affordable price. The season of prickly pear covers the months of April to November, although the greatest production is recorded in the rainy season, between July and October, while 97.3 percent of production occurs in the rainfed mode on a surface greater than 45,000 hectares planted and a volume of 444,081 tons, of agreement with the Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP). Since 2019 the production value of the prickly pear maintains a constant increase, going from 1537 million pesos to 1,671 million pesos, an increase of 8.8 percent. The prickly pear has a wide variety of shades, flavors, shapes and ...