Irrigation in cactus pear

Abstract

With a characteristic of rusticity, the cactus pear is indicated for cultivation as a strategy of living with drought. However, long periods of drought and delay in the beginning of the rainy season due to greater climate variability, combined with the need for annual harvest preserving only the mother cladode justify the use of irrigation. Thus it is possible to keep the cactus pear cultivation stabilized, ensure production under irrigation and water reserve for the animals. In this context, this paper concisely provides information on the use of irrigation in cactus pear, as well as the application methods to ensure crop production and sustainable use of water and environmental resources.