Does Maturity Change the Chemical-Bromatological Makeup of Cladodes in Spineless Forage Cactus?

Anandkumar Naorem, Mounir Louhaichi (), Sawsan Hassan, Ashutosh Sarker, Shiva Kumar Udayana, Somasundaram Jayaraman and Sachin Patel
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Anandkumar Naorem: ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, RRS, Bhuj 370105, India
Mounir Louhaichi: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Tunis 1004, Tunisia
Sawsan Hassan: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Amman 11195, Jordan
Ashutosh Sarker: Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
Shiva Kumar Udayana: College of Horticulture, Dr. YSR Horticultural University, Venkataramannagudem 534101, India
Somasundaram Jayaraman: ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Nabibagh, Berasia Road, Bhopal 462038, India
Sachin Patel: ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, RRS, Bhuj 370105, India

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 18, 1-14

Abstract: In Kutch (Gujarat District, India), there is a growing concern about the lack of good quality forage owing to the arid climate and poor soil health. Opuntia ficus-indica has been increasingly recognized as a drought-resilient forage in arid Kutch. This study seeks to identify the maturity phase of cactus cladodes with the best forage qualities. Five accessions of spineless forage cactus (CBG, No. 1270, No. 1271, No. 1308, and Bianca Macomer) and three cladode maturity phases (young, intermediate, and mature) were examined in a randomized block design experiment in a 5 × 3 factorial arrangement. Although only mineral matter and total carbohydrate concentration were significantly different among the accessions, CBG showed better forage qualities than other accessions. Dry matter, organic matter, mineral matter, crude protein, ether extract, and total carbohydrate accumulations were higher in the intermediate phase. In the mature phase, relatively difficult to digest fiber components such as neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose increase. Our findings indicate that for spineless forage cactus grown in arid areas, the intermediate phase is the best phase to harvest cladodes for feeding livestock.

Keywords: CAZRI Botanical Garden; neutral detergent fiber; non-fiber carbohydrate; Opuntia ficus-indica; pectin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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