Prickly Pear Cactus Opuntia Ficus-indica Research Articles

Field and laboratory evaluations of different botanical insecticides for the control of Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) on cactus pear in Morocco

The prickly-pear cactus Opuntia ficus-indica L. is grown throughout Morocco and has an important economic role as a source of food, animal feed and income for rural populations. However, currently this crop is suffering from attack by the wild cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae, which has caused huge production losses. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of five botanical extracts and a detergent for the control of nymphs and adult females of D. opuntiae in laboratory bioassays and field conditions. Under laboratory conditions, the detergent black soap at 60 g/l caused 100% mortality of D. opuntiae adult females and nymphs, 48 h after treatment. Capsicum annuum fruit extract at 10% gave 100% mortality of nymphs at 96 h after application and 56% mortality of adult females at 192 h after treatment. Under field conditions, black soap at 60 g/l applied in combination with C. annuum at 200 g/l caused the highest mortality on adult females (87.31%) at 168 h after application, and 84.9% on nymphs at 72 h after treatment. The black soap at 60 g/l had the greatest impact on mortality of D. opuntiae nymphs and adult females when applied at low to medium levels of D. opuntiae infestation. The double application of black soap at 60 g/l over a 3-day spray interval significantly increased the mortality of adult females up to 82.5% at 3 days after the second application. These findings showed that the use of the biodegradable products, black soap at 60 g/l in double application or in combination with C. annuum extract at 200 g/l, could be incorporated in the management package for the control of D. opuntiae as a safe alternative to chemical insecticides.

Towards Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) biological and integrated management at field conditions in Cadiz province (Spain)

ABSTRACT The false carmine cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae has been originally used as biological control agent of the prickly pear cactus Opuntia ficus-indica Miller, considered as an exotic invasive species in many countries including Spain. However, the extremely high level of infestation has resulted in great inconvenience to the population of local residents and a serious threat to wipe out a plant that is already part of the Andalusian landscape. In the present research, different control means were evaluated towards this cochineal at field condition in a site in the province of Cadiz (Spain). The populations of the insect in the study site were confirmed to belong to D. opuntiae. We detected this insect throughout the study area with a very high population density in terms of number of colonies per cladode and the extent of the infestation. We also evaluated the efficacy of four different methods (Chlorpyrifos-methyl, Potassium soap, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri larvae, the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana) for the control of D. opuntiae. Our results demonstrated that the Potassium soap and Chlorpyrifos-methyl were the best treatments in reducing D. opuntiae populations, with relative population density values being negative only in these two treatments, and efficacies of 91.5 and 76.7% respectively. The results of this investigation showed that the current situation of false carmine cochineal is worrisome, but nevertheless, the use of Potassium soap for its control is recommended because of its high efficacy and low environmental impact.

Flavonols from the Ripe Fruits ofOpuntia ficus-indicaVar.sabotenProtect Neuronal PC-12 Cells against Oxidative Stress

Fruits of prickly pear cactus Opuntia ficus-indica have been traditionally used as a folk medicine with various pharmacological activities, partly due to their antioxidative flavonoids. The ripe fruits of O. ficus-indica var. saboten were extracted with 70% v/v aqueous ethanol to obtain phenolic extracts, which were separated into five fractions of n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water. The ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest levels of total phenolics, total flavonoids and antioxidant capacity among the fractions tested. A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction revealed seven major flavonols: isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, kaempferol-7-O-neohesperidoside, quercetin and quercetin-3-methylether. The ethyl acetate fraction increased the in vitro viability of neuron-like PC-12 cells against intracellular oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the ethyl acetate fraction rich in flavonols protecting neuronal cells from oxidative stress may be utilized as a functional food ingredient for nutraceuticals. Practical Applications Fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten are edible berries with a thick skin and many seeds, and have long been used as an oriental folk medicine with various health-promoting effects, in part due to antioxidative phenolics. Antioxidative flavonols such as isorhamnetin, kaempferol and quercetin in the O. ficus-indica var. saboten ripe fruit were identified and quantified as major phenolics, indicating that its extract can be standardized to use as an antioxidant source for product development in food manufacture. The O. ficus-indica var. saboten ripe fruit phenolics attenuated intracellular oxidative stress and reduced the release of intracellular lactate dehydrogenase in the cytosol of neuron-like PC-12 cells. Therefore, the ethyl acetate fraction rich in flavonols might be utilized as a food ingredient for nutraceuticals.

Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to Preservation® and “rapid recovery of cellular activity post stress” pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

Following an application from ICP Ltd, submitted for authorisation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Malta, the EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to Preservationc and “rapid recovery of cellular activity post stress”. The Panel considers that Preservation®, which contains an extract of prickly pear cactus Opuntia ficus-indica, is sufficiently characterised. The claimed effect is “rapid recovery of cellular activity post stress”. The claimed effect is general and non-specific, and the references provided did not provide information which could be used to define a specific beneficial physiological effect. The Panel considers that the claimed effect is general and non-specific, and does not comply with the criteria laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.

Seasonal, Light, and Temperature Influences on Organ Initiation for Unrooted Cladodes of the Prickly Pear Cactus Opuntia ficus-indica

Detached, unrooted cladodes (stem segments) of the widely cultivated prickly pear cactus Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller (Cactaceae), which remain alive for at least 12 months, provide a model system for investigating stem responses to environmental factors. Initiation of organs varied seasonally; on average 2.14 new organs were initiated per cladode over a 16-week period in a glasshouse for cladodes detached in winter, 0.76 when detached in late spring, and only 0.07 when detached in late summer. Shading by 45% halved new organ initiation and shading by 95% decreased it by 96%. The seasonal and light responses for new organ initiation are consistent with field observations on O. ficus-indica. For detached cladodes maintained in environmental chambers for 14 weeks, the new organs were 10 times more likely to be fruit than daughter cladodes at day/night temperatures of 15/5 °C, equally likely to be either organ at 25/15 °C, and 10 times more likely to be daughter cladodes than fruit at 35/25 °C. Decreasing the shading or the temperature favored stomatal opening, as shown by increases in the dry mass/fresh mass ratio of the detached cladodes. Such increased stomatal opening was accompanied by increased photosynthetic activity, as shown by greater starch content and higher concentrations of sucrose, glucose, and fructose. Why low day/night temperatures favored reproductive structures and high temperatures favored vegetative ones is not clear, but future research using unrooted cladodes may help elucidate the mechanisms involved.