沙漠研究 24-1, 121-124 (2014)
Ἃ₍◊✲ 24-1, 121 - 124 (2014)
Journal of Arid Land Studies
Journal of Arid Land Studies－ DT11 Refereed Paper －㸫DT11 Refereed Paper㸫

Cactus as a Tool to Mitigate Drought and to Combat Desertification
Ali NEFZAOUI*1), Mounir LOUHAICHI2) and Hichem BEN SALEM3)
Abstract: Land degradation occurs in all continents and affects the livelihoods of millions of people, including a large proportion ofthe poor in the drylands. Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. is a xerophytic cactus species, widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions
worldwide. As most of species of the Cactacee family, O. ficus-indica exhibits Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), withnocturnal stomata opening and CO2 uptake occurring, typically, from dusk to dawn. Many reasons may account for the great interest
devoted to cacti. The multipurpose use of this plant species and their ability to grow in harsh environments are the main reasons.
Their root characteristics ameliorate wind and rain eroded soils so their growth in degraded areas should be encouraged. The
establishment of sustainable production systems based on cactus may contribute to the food security of populations in agriculturally
marginalized areas and to soil improvement. Cacti are some of the best plants for the revegetation of arid and semi-arid areas because
they are tolerant of scarce and erratic rainfall and high temperatures. The reasons behind the inclusion of cacti include (i) simple
cultivation practices required to grow the crop, (ii) its quick establishment soon after the introduction in a new area, (iii) ability to growin harsh conditions characterized by high temperature, lack of water and poor soil, (iv) generation of income from the selling of muchvalued and appreciated fruits, (v) use of its stems in the human diet and as fodder for livestock and (vi) many industrial derivatives areproduced from the fruits.
Key Words: Global warming, Land degradation, Livelihood, Poverty alleviation, Soil and water conservation

1. Introduction
The Cactaceae family includes about 1600 species, nativefrom America, but disseminated worldwide. Opuntia is themost widely known genus of this family. The species
Opuntia ficus-indica is cultivated in more than 20 countries.
Around 900,000 ha of cactus have been planted in North
Africa including 600,000 ha in Tunisia. The total area ofcactus is estimated at 5 million ha of which 3 million are wild
and located in Mexico. Cactus has been consumed byhumans for over 9000 years. As an underused crop, cactus
has received increasing attention during the last few years.
Thus, from 1998 to 2000 more than 600 researchers publishedover 1100 articles on Cactus.
Specific Opuntia species have developed phenological,
physiological and structural adaptations for growth andsurvival in arid environments where severe water stress hinders
the survival of other plant species. Among these adaptations,the asynchronous reproduction and CAM metabolism ofcactus stands out, which combined with structural adaptations
such as succulence, allow them to continue the assimilation ofcarbon dioxide during long periods of drought reaching
acceptable productivity levels even in years of severe drought.

Table 1. Comparative water use efficiency (WUE) and transpiration
rate (TR) for C3, C4 and CAM
CAM plants
plants (adapted(adapted from Nobel(2009).
C3C4CAM
WUE*
0.0013-0.005 0.0025-0.010 0.013-0.040
TR**200-800
100-40025-80* Water-Use Efficiency (WUE): ratio of the CO2 fixed in photosynthesis towater lost via transpiration.
** Transpiration Ratio (TR): amount of water lost through transpiration
over the CO2 fixed in photosynthesis.

2. Cactus: the Perfect Candidate to Mitigate Climate
Changes in Arid Zones
CAM plants (Agaves and Cactus) can use water much
more efficiently with regard to CO2 uptake and productivity
than do C3 and C4 plants (Nobel, 2009). Biomass generation
by CAM plants per unit of water is on average 5 to 10 times
greater than C4 and C3 plants (Table 1). In contrast to C3 andC4 plants, CAM plants net CO2 uptake occurs predominantly atnight (Nobel, 2009). Nobel (2009) stated that the key forconsequences between nocturnal gas exchange by CAM andC3 and C4 plants is temperature. Temperatures are lower atnight, which reduces the internal water vapor concentrations in
CAM plants, and results in better water use efficiency. This is
the key reason CAM species are the most suited plants for arid
and semi-arid habitats.
㸦Received, September 14th, 2013; Accepted, January 30th, 2014㸧

* Corresponding Author: a.nefzaoui@cgiar.org
3 Rue Mahmoud Ghaznaoui, El Menzah IV, 1082 Tunis, Tunisia
1) ICARDA North Africa Regional program, Tunis, Tunisia2) ICARDA, DSIPS Program, REMU, Amman, Jordan

3) INRAT, Tunis, Tunisia

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Table 2. Comparison of soil losses (t ha-1 y-1) under different crops in semi-arid north-eastern Brazil (Margolis et al., 1985).
Crop type
Bare soilCotton
M aizeM aize + beans
Opuntia ficus-indica
Perennial grass

Soil preparation
phase7.19
2.42
1.51

Cultivation phase
8.2
1.77

Harvest until next
Total Soil losses
growing season
13.71
29.1
6.72
10.91

C factor
10.392

1.36
0.48

0.68
0.55
0.02

3.75
2.02
1.48

5.94
3.93
1.98

0.199
0.119
0.072

0

0.02

0.01

0.03

0.001

Table 3. Productivity (forage units per hectare) of natural and improved rangelands in Tunisia (Nefzaoui and El Mourid, 2009).
Rangeland type
NaturalDhahar
Tataouine,
TunisiammN
at ural rrangelandangeland iinnDhahar T
at aouine, Tunisia ((100100 mm rrainfall)
ainfall)

Productivity (forage unit per hectare)*335
5 --100
100Private rangeland improved by cactus crop in Ouled Farhane, Tunisia (250 mm rainfall)
Cooperative rangeland improved through Acacia cyanophylla , Guettis, Tunisia (200 mm rainfall)

800-1000
400-500* One forage unit is equivalent to 1 kg barley grain metabolizable energy.

C3 and C4 plants suffer irreparable damage once they lose
30% water content. On the other hand, many cacti cansurvive an 80 to 90% loss of their hydrated water content andstill survive. This is due to the ability of CAM plants to store
a lot of water, to shift water among cells to keep crucial
metabolism active, and to tolerate extreme cellular dehydration(Nobel, 2009). These abilities stem from the cactus
characteristics including the extra thickness of the cuticles
providing an efficient barrier against water loss, the presence ofmucilage, and the daytime stomatal closing. In addition, cacti
have an asynchronous development of various plant organs, sothat even under the worst conditions some part of the plant is
not affected. It is well known that cactus grow in deserts
where temperatures are extremely high. It has been reported
by many authors (i.e. Nobel, 2009) that many agaves andcactus can tolerate high temperatures of up to 60 and 70°C.
A full chapter has been devoted to this aspect by Park
Nobel (2009) in his recent book “Desert Wisdom Agaves andCacti CO2, Water, Climate Change”. In view of the specificphenological, physiological and structural adaptations of cactus
described by Nobel (2009), it can be assessed that they are well
positioned to cope with future global climate change.
Opuntia ficus-indica, for example, can sequester carbon at arate of 20 t dry matter (equivalent to 30 t of CO2) per ha eachyear under sub-optimal growing conditions similar to those in
North African arid regions. In this regard and as stated by
Drennan and Nobel (2000) and Nobel (2009), agaves andcactus with their substantial biomass productivity and theirhigh WUE should be considered for terrestrial sequestration ofatmospheric CO2 in underexploited arid and semi-arid regions.
Such regions, which occupy 30% of the Earth’s land area, arepoorly suited to C3 and C4 crops without irrigation.

3. How Can Cactus Help Adapting to Climate Changein Dry Areas?
3.1. Soil and water conservation
In the countries of North Africa, particularly Tunisia, cactus
is successfully associated with water harvesting structures.
When planted along contour lines, cactus hedges can play amajor role in erosion control. Soil physical properties are
considerably improved under these hedges and in immediateadjacent areas, with an improvement in organic matter andnitrogen as compared to fields without cactus hedges.
Between 40 to 200% increase in organic matter and nitrogen
have been reported in fields with cactus hedges. Furthermore,
top soil structural stability is enhanced and susceptibility tosurface crusting, runoff and erosion are reduced, while
permeability and water storage capability are increased(Nefzaoui and El Mourid, 2009).
Cactus planting in contour hedges may help in retaining up
to 100 t ha 1 soil annually (Margolis et al., 1985). Comparing
different cultivation systems, such as downhill planting,contour planting, reduced weeding, and intercropping with
contour hedges, it was found that soil losses (0.13 to 0.26 t ha-1y-1) were the lowest with the last technique (Margolis et al.,1985). Experiments conducted in Brazil and Tunisia show
clearly that planting cactus in agroforestry systems is more
efficient for soil and water conservation than conventional landuse (Table 2).
3.2. Cactus to rehabilitate degraded rangelands
Cactus and Opuntia in particular are some of the best plants
for the revegetation of arid and semiarid lands. Impressive
results are obtained with fast growing shrubs (Acacia
cyanophylla, Atriplex nummularia) or cactus (Opuntia123

ficus-indica) plantings in Central Tunisia where average annual
rainfall is 200-300 mm (Table 3).

4. Cactus: a Multipurpose Crop and a Source ofIncome for the Rural Poor
Cactus crop is easy to establish and to maintain, and hasvarious utilizations. It produces good quality fruits for local
or international markets; it is an excellent fodder; cactus young
cladodes (nopalitos) are used as a vegetable; it produces the“perfect red dye” from a cochineal that lives only on a specific
type of cactus; and recent research has revealed the vastinteresting areas of its medicinal and cosmetic uses.
Fruit production: Cactus pear has been cultivated for fruit
production since the Aztec times. Main producers today
include Mexico, Italy, South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco, Peru,and others. Fruit yields are extremely high and reach 25 t ha-1.
Harvest and post harvest techniques are well developed in
producing countries (Inglese et al., 2002). The fruit quality isquite similar to orange or papaya. Recent findings show thatcactus fruit has a high content of anti-oxidants and otherneutraceuticals (Nefzaoui et al., 2008).
Use of cactus as forage: Cactus presents high palatability,
digestibility, and reduces the water need to animals. However,cactus must be combined with other feed to complete the daily
diet, as they are poor in proteins, although rich incarbohydrates and calcium (Nefzaoui and Ben Salem, 2002).
Animals can consume large amounts of cladodes. For
instance, cattle may consume 50 to 70 kg fresh cladodes perday, and sheep 6 to 8 kg per day. The energy content ofcladodes is 3,500 to 4,000 kcal kg-1 dry matter, just over half ofwhich is digestible, coming mainly from carbohydrates. In
arid and semiarid regions of North Africa, cereal crop residues
and natural pastures generally do not meet the nutrient
requirements of small ruminants for meat production.
Cladodes can provide a cost effective supplementation, such as
for raising sheep and goats on rangelands. When cladodes
are supplied to grazing goats that have access to alfalfa hay, themilk yield is increased by 45% (to 436 g day-1). Whencladodes are associated with a protein rich feedstuff, they may
replace barley grains or maize silage without affecting bodyweight gains of sheep and cattle. For instance, milk yield forlactating goats supplied with 2.2 kg alfalfa hay day l is actuallyslightly higher (1.080 g day-1) when 0.7 kg cladodes replaces
an equal mass of alfalfa. Water scarcity can depress feedintake, digestion, and therefore weight gains of sheep and goats.
Thus, supplying livestock with water during the summer andduring drought periods is crucial in hot arid regions. Animals
consume considerable energy to reach water points.
Therefore, the high water content of cladodes is a solution foranimal raising in dry areas. In fact, animals given abundant
supplies of cladodes require little or no additional water(Nefzaoui and Ben Salem, 2002).
Use of cactus as vegetable and other valuable products: It isfeasible to industrialize cladodes, fruit, and nopalitos. Thispotential market deals mainly with concentrated foods, juices,
liquors, semi processed and processed vegetables, foodsupplements and the cosmetic industry. While this is feasible,
it will require sustained effort and investment to develop themarket (Saenz, 2002, 2006). Many brands of jellies,
marmalades and dried sweets are prepared and sold in Latin
America, and South and North Africa. Juice obtained fromthe strained pulp is considered to be a good source of natural
sweetener and colorants. Pads are widely used as a dietary
supplement to increase fiber content in the human diet and forother beneficial purposes such as weight reduction, decrease inblood sugar and the prevention of colon cancer. The world
market for pills made from powdered cactus is growing at afast pace and small scale producers could well benefit from thistrend (Saenz, 2006).
Medicinal uses: There is some experimental research withpromising results on the use of “nopalitos” for gastritis, fordiabetes due to the reduction of glucose in blood and insulin,
for hypercholesterolemia due to reduction of total cholesterol,
LDL cholesterol and triglycerides serum levels, and for obesity(Nefzaoui et al., 2008).

5. Conclusion
Opuntias are now part of the natural landscape and theagricultural systems of many regions of the world. There isincreasing interest in opuntias, and O. ficus-indica in particular,
as they play a strategic role in agricultural and economic
development, particularly in disadvantaged areas, in view of its
opportunities for income generation, food production andecosystem conservation. Therefore, opuntias have become an
major source of products and functions as a crop for bothsubsistence and market-oriented agriculture, contributing to thefood security of populations in agriculturally marginalized
areas and as a tool to mitigate drought and to combat
desertification.

References
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Environment, 23: 767-781.
Inglese P., Basile F., Schirra M. (2002): Cactus pear fruitproduction. In Nobel P.S. ed., Cacti. California UniversityPress, 163-183.

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