Opuntia spp. biodiversity conservation and utilization on the Cape Verde Islands

Abstract

Cactus pear is the common name of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., the arid-resistant plant that is grown worldwide for its multifunctional proprieties. The paper gives an overview of local genetic resources of Opuntia spp. and describes the results of the recent introduction of some O. ficus-indica varieties, hybrids and other cactaceas on Fogo Island during a cooperation international project carried out by the Italian Universities of Torino and Sassari aimed to build a sustainable supply chain for the local growers, in order to fight their extreme poverty and malnutrition. The ten introduced genotypes were selected from a repository located Sardinia (Italy) held by the University of Sassari. They were selected for fruits and/or cladodes productivity, and potential use as livestock feed, and no invasive behaviour. The propagation test started in May 2007 and data on the emerging and the growth of new cladodes were recorded until March 2008: propagation was carried out by cloning via cutting. Once planted and identified, usual agrotechniques for Opuntia cultivation were applied and data on growth were periodically collected. To evaluate and compare the growth of the different genotypes, a productivity index was used. Cladodes of the Nopalea genotype were significantly smaller in size than all the other genotypes, in length (20.50 cm), width (11.25 cm), and thickness (0.98 cm). In the present study, the active preservation of biodiversity has become a tool to enhance sustainable agroforestry.