PLANT DENSITY AND PLANTING DATE OF PRICKLY PEAR (Opuntia ficus indica)

Abstract

Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) is an alternative forage crop and may be an important source of economic income for farmers, located in poor rainfed areas. In the State of Morelos, there is a lack of information in this plant for specific population densities and planting dates. A 3 x 4 factorial experiment was used to determine fresh matter production per year under 3 densities (20, 40 and 80 thousand plants ha-1) and 4 planting dates (May 15 and 30, and June 15 and 30, 1992). The earliest planting date and the highest density (p < 0.05) produced the best fresh weight (189.5 t ha-1year-1).