A comparison of Opuntia fruit quality and winter hardiness for use in Texas

The fruit sugar, pH and titratable acidity of 25 Opuntia clones were examined in the third to fifth year of a field trial in southern Texas. Thorny and thornless types with red, purple, green, orange and yellow colored fruits were included in this evaluation. Most fruits (61%) were initiated in April and were mature in July and August. A Brazilian clone was the only one to reinitiate flowering in September. The clones which produced most fruit at 3 years of age were from Mexico and Brazil. Chilean clones produced few fruits in the Texas environment. Nine of the clones had sugar contents greater than 11%. At the end of the fifth year, all unsheltered Opuntia died from a - 12°C freeze. The principal limitation to commercial cactus fruit plantations in Texas appears to be lack of cold hardy clones. More recent introductions from high elevation sites in Mexico may overcome this limitation.