Opuntia ficus-indica a fruit crop, and also for the vegetable nopales and other uses. Most culinary references to the "prickly pear" are referring to this species. The name "tuna" is also used for the fruit of this cactus, and for "Opuntia" in general; according to Alexander von Humboldt, it was a word of Taino origin taken into the Spanish language around 1500. Cacti are good crops for dry areas because they convert water into biomass efficiently. "O. ficus-indica", as the most widespread of the long-domesticated cactuses, is as economically important as maize and blue agave in Mexico. Because "Opuntia" species hybridize easily,
Opuntia ficus-indica the Mediterranean basin. Under those hedges and adjacent areas soil physical properties, nitrogen and organic matter are considerably improved. Structural stability of the soil is enhanced, runoff and erosion are reduced, while water storage capacity and permeability is enhanced. Prickly pear plantations also have a positive impact on plant growth of other species by improving severe environmental conditions which facilitate colonization and development of herbaceous species. Opuntia ficus-indica is being advantageously used in Tunisia and Algeria to slow and direct sand movement and enhance the restoration of vegetative cover, minimizing deterioration of built terraces with its deep and strong rooting