ALTERNATIVE BEARING AND SUMMER PRUNING OF CACTUS PEAR

Summer pruning of newly developing cladodes is commonly applied by cactus pear farmers in order to reduce fruit vs. vegetative growth competition.
An analysis of a 4-year vegetative and reproductive behaviour of summer pruned and unpruned trees of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. was performed.
Summer pruning resulted in a sharp alternate bearing behaviour.
In ‘on’ years, most of the crop (90%) comes from 1-year-old cladodes, whereas in ‘off’ years 40% of the crop comes from 2-years-old cladodes.
One-year-old cladodes have a much higher fertility (number of flowers per cladode) than 2-year-old cladodes.

IV International Congress on Cactus Pear and Cochineal

P. Inglese, G. Gugliuzza, T. La Mantia

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill., fertility

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.581.19