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 limit of prickly pear is above 50 °C. As the fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica are delicate, they need to be carefully harvested by hand. The small spines on the fruits are removed by rubbing them on an abrasive surface or sweeping them through grass. Before consumption, they are peeled and sliced. The pads of the plant (mainly used as fodder) also need to be harvested by hand. The pads are cut with a knife, detaching the pad from the plant in the joint. If Opuntia ficus-indica is cultivated for forage production, spineless cultivars are preferred. However, also wild types of