Cactus pear and pitaya: fruit production and orchard management

Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.) and pitayas (Hylocereus sp.) are two major crops belonging to the Cactaceae. These species thrive successfully where traditional crops are impractical, mainly due to their unique traits, such as high water-use efficiency. In view of their commercial exploitation under a wide range of environmental conditions that directly influence productivity and fruit quality, large crop performances differences are observed. Crop performance depends on the environmental conditions and agro-technologies, i.e., water availability, temperature, photoperiod along with soil characteristics. Effective orchard management system depends on the success of regular agriculture practices such as orchard design as well as planting, pruning, flower/fruit thinning, mineral nutrition, irrigation, pollination success, out-of-season practices, cultivars and harvesting. Herein, we review existing knowledge on fruit production and orchard management of cactus pear and pitaya with the aim to provide insight to improving yield, fruit quality, and dissemination of growing protocols.