The National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock (INIFAP) validated and transferred the technology to produce prickly pears during winter in greenhouses, in order to prove cost-effective alternatives to producers and meet the demand of this vegetable during the winter season.
Arturo Diaz Franco, researcher of the agency, explained that this technology consists of tunnels with arched metal structures (known as greenhouses) that cover the prickly pear's production bed.
The structure is formed with arcs of different dimensions placed in a plastic material manufactured from a low-density polyethylene. The arches are driven 30 centimetres into the ground and there must be two meters between each arch, then they are united with a synthetic fibre yarn and a plastic is placed on them.
The researcher said they had to dig a trench that was 15 centimetres deep and 30 centimetres wide on both sides and ends of the beds being made to cover the greenhouse with plastic; the plastic should be placed when there is no wind and covered with earth on both sides.
"The beds should be oriented north to south so they can be aired on hot days, and the plantings should be set in lines or rows separated by 40 centimetres and the plants should be 30 centimetres apart. The lines are drawn perpendicular along the beds to facilitate weeding, manure application, pruning and harvesting. The manure decreases the amount of weeds," he said.
The researcher added that the prickly pears produced in greenhouses had a uniform size and excellent quality because they had less pests and didn't need pesticide applications, so the plants and the environment were not contaminated.
This technology, which is used under irrigation conditions, allows producers to have yields between November and March that reach an average of 60 tons per hectare in eight cuts; additionally it generates employment and improves the farmers' income by up to 500 percent, said the specialist.
He said there had been studies conducted that prove the effectiveness of this technology during the winter period, useful in the central and northern region of the country, which have the lowest temperatures in this season.
This technique was validated and transferred from 2006 to 2013 to producers in five municipalities in the state of Tamaulipas, via the Rio Bravo Experimental Station of the Northeast Regional Research Centre, one of INIFAP eight centres.
"The central and northern parts of Mexico, mainly, have cold temperatures during winter; producing prickly pear was viable under protected agriculture; in this case the greenhouses protect the production from the cold weather," said Diaz Franco.
Source: NTR Zacatecas