THE PRICKLY PEAR (OPUNTIA-FICUS-INDICA [CACTACEAE]) IN SOUTH-AFRICA - UTILIZATION OF THE NATURALIZED WEED, AND OF THE CULTIVATED PLANTS

In spite of successful biological control efforts, vast areas of South Africa remain infested with the spiny prickly pear weed, Opuntia ficus-indica. These remnant populations, which vary from sparse to dense and which are more or less stable, are confined mainly to the eastern Cape. They provide a popular fruit and a limited source of income for certain sectors of the population in these areas. In terms of existing legislation, there are, however, restrictions on the large-scale utilization of these fruit. A novel method for mass-rearing the cochineal insect, Dactylopius coccus, for the commercial production of a red dye (carminic acid) has been developed. The cultivated spineless prickly pear has recently been enjoying renewed attention from researchers and growers alike. Whereas it has traditionally been cultivated mainly as a drought-resistant-fodder crop, and is still popular as such, it is now increasingly recognised as a fruit, in its own right, with considerable promise as a commercial crop for local and export markets. There is also a need to encourage the use of very young cladodes (nopalitos) as a highly nutritious vegetable for human consumption in South Africa.