1997 Proceedings of the Professional Association 
for Cactus Development

Table of Contents

Uses of Cactus for Livestock Feed

Opuntia­based Ruminant Feeding Systems in Mexico ................................................................................................................................... 3

Claudio Flores and Gilberto Aranda

Ecological Characterization of Opuntia Clones in South Texas: Implications for Wildlife Herbivory and Frugivory ...................................... 9

Felipe Chavez, et al.

A Comparison of the Nutritional Value of Opuntia and Agave Plants for Ruminants .................................................................................... 20

Jesus Fuentes

Feeding Prickly Pear Cactus to Small Ruminants in Northern Mexico. I. Goats ........................................................................................... 23

Jesus Fuentes

Breeding and Genetic Improvement of Cactus Varieties Ethnobotany, Productivity, and Ecophysiology of Pitaya (Stenocereus queretaroensis) ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 29

Eulogio Pimienta, et al.

Environmental Influences on Cactus Pear Fruit Yield, Quality and Cold Hardiness and Development of Hybrids with Improved Cold Hardiness ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 48

Xingnong Wang, et al.

Update on Cactus Pear Breeding and New Products at D*Arrigo Bros. ........................................................................................................ 60

R. Bunch

Medical Aspects of Cactus

Hypoglycemic Effect of an Opuntia streptacanta Lemaire Dialysate ............................................................................................................ 73

Israel Castañeda

Where Do We Go from Here? ....................................................................................................................................................................... 76

Gilbert Ramirez

Perspective of the Cactus Pear and Nopalito Growers

Experiences of the Monterrubio Company in Production and Marketing of Cactus Pears and Nopalitos ..................................................... 81

Rene Monterrubio

Research Aspects of Cacti

Recent Ecophysiological Findings for Opuntia ficus­indica .......................................................................................................................... 89

Park Nobel

Observations on Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) as a Pest of Cactus Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) in Argentina with SuggestionsON Possible Control Methods ............................................................................................................................................................................................97

Enrique Lobos and Judith Ochoa

Seed Characterization and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Morphology of the Testa of Three Groups of Argentine Opuntia ficus­indica (Cactaceae) .............................................................................................................................................................................. 103

C. Degano, et al.

Cooperative Program with United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)  Cactus Net Agroindustrialization Program

Cladodes: a Source of Dietary Fiber ........................................................................................................................................................... 117

Carmen Sáenz H.

Trends in the Cactus Food Industry ............................................................................................................................................................. 124

Jay McCarthy

Education for the Use of Cactus in Northern Mexico: A Model .................................................................................................................... 126

M.E. Murillo­Soto and Jesus M. Fuentes­Rodriguez

The Beles or Cactus Pear (Opuntia ficus­indica) in Tigray, Ethiopia ............................................................................................................130

M.O. Brutsch

Quality of Cactus Stems (Opuntia ficus­indica) During Low­Temperature Storage .......................................................................................142

A. Rodriguez­Felix, M.A. Villegas­Ochoa

Rheology and Aggregation of Cactus (Opuntia ficus­indica) Mucilage in Solution ...................................................................................... 152

A. Cárdenas, et al.

Response of Six Cultivars of Tuna Fruits To Cold Storage .......................................................................................................................... 160

Joel Corrales­García, et al.

Industrialization De La Tuna Cardona (Opuntia streptacantha) Prickly Pear Fruit Industrialization (Opuntia streptacantha) ........................ 169

Juan Jose López, et al.