Cactus pear management alternatives in Brazilian savannah: agronomic aspects, chemical composition, macro and micronutrient content

Abstract

The cactus pear is a plant that can survive and produce under the soil and climatic conditions of tropical regions, but its management is still relatively little known in the Brazilian savannah. The objective of this study was to evaluate management alternatives for the cactus pear variety Doce, subjected to different cutting intensities, preserving the matrix, primary or secondary cladodes, and two harvest ages (annual and biennial), under rainfed conditions in the Brazilian savannah. A completely randomized design was adopted in a 3 × 2 factorial scheme, with eight replications. Morphometric and production variables, chemical composition, as well as macro and micronutrient contents were assessed. Greater amounts of green forage mass yield (GFMY) and dry forage mass yield (DFMY) were found when up to the primary cladode was preserved, but the crude protein content was like that found in the matrix cladode cutting intensity. Managing the cactus pear under biennial harvest provided higher height, GFMY, DFMY, potassium, and micronutrient accumulation. The management alternative that provides the most benefits in terms of agronomic characteristics and production is the one that preserves up to the primary cladode associated with biennial harvest. In addition, biennial harvest provides better chemical composition and greater accumulation of macro and micronutrients in cactus pear cultivar Doce.