Cactus as a Tool to Mitigate Drought and to Combat Desertification
Land degradation occurs in all continents and affects the livelihoods of millions of people, including a large proportion of
the poor in the drylands. Opuntiaficus-indica (L.) Mill. is a xerophytic cactus species, widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions
worldwide. As most of species of the Cactacee family, 0. fiCUS-indica exhibits Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), with
nocturnal stomata opening and C02 uptake occurring, typically, from dusk to dawn. Many reasons may account for the great interest