Comparative environmental and economic assessment of greenhouse cucumber and opuntia ficus-indica cultivation in arid regions

) than O. ficus-indica. For the cucumber, the operational phase was dominated by diesel and electricity consumption, which influenced global warming (90.8%), ozone formation (88.5%), and ecotoxicity potential (59-78%). Both crops showed significant impacts during the greenhouse construction phase (> 95% contribution), linked mainly to materials such as concrete and cables. The integrated analysis confirmed that the cultivation of O. ficus-indica reduced total environmental impacts by 75% compared to cucumber. Although the economic analysis highlighted a higher internal rate of return (21.49%) and a shorter payback period (6.44 years) for cucumber, its cultivation was not economically justifiable due to the nearly 10 times higher water and fuel consumption. This study suggests O. ficus-indica cultivation as a sustainable low-input alternative with a more balanced footprint in water-scarce and climate-sensitive regions.