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For many years, cactus pear cultivar recommendations in South Africa have been based on the performance of cultivars at Grootfontein, in the Karoo, Eastern Cape. Both Brutsch (1979) and later Wessels (1988) noted that some cultivars yielded well in the Karoo interior (Grootfontein) but performed poorly in the higher rainfall area of Alice (Eastern Cape), and in Pretoria (Gauteng), indicating clonal differences in environmental adaptation. Mara-ADC also provided a base for further research with its highest germplasm collection in South Africa. For the purpose of the study, twenty four cultivars were evaluated for fruit quality characteristics and these varieties included yellow (Cross X, R 1260, Roedtan, Sharsheret, R 1251, Santa Rosa, Malta, Morado, Turpin, Gymno Carpo, R 1259, Robusta X Castillo, American Giant), white (Tormentosa, Van As, Zastron, Schagen, Skinner Court, Fusicaulis, Negen) and red (Meyers, Algerian, Nudosa, Berg X Mexican) pulp colour types. The following fruit characteristics wereevaluated; FM: Fruit mass (g), FW: Fruit width (mm), FL: Fruit length (mm), P: Peelability, PT: Peel thickness (mm), PM: Pulp mass (g), TSS: Total soluble solids (oBrix) and TNS: Total number of seed for each cultivar. Significant differences were observed in all evaluated fruit characteristics as influenced by the different cultivars. It has however been concluded that fruit quality differs among different types of cactus pear cultivars year to year. |
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