Short-Term and Long-Term Research Needs for Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. Utilization in Arid Areas

Abstract

The decade of the 1990s has seen a great expansion in national and international cooperative
research and development on cactus, including plant physiology and orchard management, new
Opuntia hybrids, descriptor list for Opuntias, intensive breeding and selection work on columnar
and vine fruit cacti, new commercially available processed products of cactus pears and various
major international symposia to integrate researchers and professionals of different fields
worldwide. While a mixture of basic and applied research is still required in critical areas, the
scientific database is now sufficiently mature to guide international development efforts. Based
on our experiences, this paper suggests priorities for basic and applied research of scientists from
different fields.