VARIABILITY OF CARBOHYDRATE CONTENT IN PRICKLY-PEAR (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) CLADODES

摘要

Prickly-pear features morphological and physiological adaptations to hot arid conditions which makethis plant species an ideal crop for arid and semi-arid regions. In the literature, prickly pear biomass has beenconsidered as a promising feedstock for bioethanol production. Thus, a better understanding of the variability of thecladodes content in carbohydrates regarding factors like harvest date, presence or absence of fruits, or cladode sizeand age could be useful to optimize the harvest date as well as to help to improve the required treatments.