Morphophysiological and Productive Responses of Forage Cactus Clones to the Water and Nutrient Use in the Brazilian Semi‐Arid Region
ABSTRACT Crops adapted to semi‐arid conditions enhance forage supply amid water scarcity. This study aimed to compare six forage cactus clones (Orelha de Elefante Mexicana [OEM , Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw.]; Orelha de Elefante Africana [OEA, Opuntia undulata Griffiths]; V19, Opuntia larreyi F.A.C. Weber ex Coult.; F8, Opuntia atropes Rose; MIUDA (MIU) and IPA‐Sertânia (IPA), Nopalea cochenillifera (L.) Salm‐Dyck) in terms of morphophysiological traits, forage production, nutrient and water use efficiency, and economic viability under irrigation in a semi‐arid environment. The experiment was conducted from December 2016 to September 2022 in randomised blocks, with treatments of six clones: OEM, OEA, V19, F8, MIU and IPA, with three replicates. Phenology, morphophysiological rates, cutting time, productivity, water balance, water and nutrient use efficiency and crop economic indicators were determined. Plant tissue analyses were carried out to determine concentrations, coefficient of biological utilisation (CBU) and nutrient use efficiency (NUE). The OEM exhibited the highest annual average fresh matter yield (300 Mg ha −1 year −1 ) and dry matter yield (24 Mg ha −1 year −1 ). The efficiencies of water productivity, net and gross economic productivity of the total water applied to the system, and irrigation varied depending on the clone and cycle. The CBU of all nutrients showed an inverse relationship with cladode nutrient concentrations. This indicates that the CBU increased as the nutrient concentration in plant tissues decreased across all clones analysed. The OEM clone showed the highest NUE for all nutrients. OEM was more productive and had higher water and nutrient use efficiencies. Furthermore, the MIU clone showed superior economic efficiency in irrigation water use.
Authors
- George Emmanuel do Nascimento Araújo
- Marcelo José da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1650-6693)
- José Orlando Nunes da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7622-5095)
- Luciana Sandra Bastos de Souza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8870-0295)
- Fleming Sena Campos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9027-3210)
- Kaique Renan da Silva Salvador (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6119-2865)
- Cléber Pereira Alves (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8796-6945)
- Thieres George Freire da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8355-4935)
- José Edson Florentino de Morais (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3641-2221)
- Abelardo Antônio de Assunção Montenegro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5746-8574)
- João Pedro Alves de Souza Santos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0804-115X)
- Mário Adriano Ávila Queiroz
- Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim
- Alexandre Campelo de Oliveira
- Carlos André Alves de Souza
Institutions
- Southwest Bahia State University (BR)
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Alagoas (BR)
- Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (BR)
- Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (BR)
- Universidade Federal de Alagoas (BR)
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Grass and Forage Science
- Published
- 2025-12-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/gfs.70027
- Primary Topic
- Botanical Research and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco