ALLOMETRIC METHOD FOR THE ESTIMATION OF PRICKLY PEAR (OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA (L.) MILLER) BIOMASS WEIGHT: COMPARISON BETWEEN SEASONAL DATA

摘要

Prickly-pear features morphological and physiological adaptations to hot arid conditions which make this plant species an ideal crop for arid and semi-arid regions. It is a perennial with a distinct morphology, typically a succession of cladodes. This fact allows the development of a specific allometric method for the estimation of the biomass production of this crop. A close relationship was reported in the literature between non-destructive measurements of cladodes and biomass dry weight. In this work, seasonal variations of the regression line that correlates cladodes dry weights to non-destructive measurements of cladodes are studied. Results showed that a single linear equation can be assumed for most of the growth cycle.