Cacti

The Cactaceae family, with about sixteen hundred species, is cultivated worldwide for fruits, forage, fodder, and even as a vegetable. Cacti are recognized for their attractive flowers, special stem shapes, and ability to tolerate drought. Because of their efficient use of water and other adaptations, biological and agronomic interest in cacti has soared. These fascinating plants also have much to teach us about biodiversity and conservation. Yet a current, synthetic, wide-ranging reference on cacti has not been available until now. This comprehensive book, compiled by a well-known cactus biologist, includes authoritative, up-to-date chapters by thirty-five contributors from around the world on topics ranging from evolution to biotechnology. It is the first book of its kind to compile information on cactus biology, ecology, and uses in one convenient place.

The first half of the book provides a thorough overview of cactus biology and morphology and discusses the environmental and conservation issues that affect the plants. It includes a discussion of the evolution of the family, paying particular attention to new genetic and molecular approaches. The second half of the book focuses on the practical concerns of cultivating cacti, such as pest control and diseases, horticultural and forage applications, and techniques for agronomy. Other chapters cover the different markets for cacti and products that are made from them.

This unique volume will be a reliable and informative reference for ecologists and environmentalists, agriculturists, plant biologists, and anyone seriously interested in these remarkable plants.

Park S. Nobel is Professor of Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of eight books, including Physicochemical and Environmental Plant Physiology (second edition, 1999), Remarkable Agaves and Cacti (1994), Environmental Biology of Agaves and Cacti (1988), and, with A.C. Gibson, The Cactus Primer (1986).

List of Contributors
Preface

1. Evolution and Systematics
Robert S. Wallace and Arthur C. Gibson
2. Shoot Anatomy and Morphology
Teresa Terrazas Salgado and James D. Mauseth
3. Root Structure and Function
Joseph G. Dubrovsky and Gretchen B. North
4. Environmental Biology
Park S. Nobel and Edward G. Bobich
5. Reproductive Biology
Eulogio Pimienta-Barrios and Rafael F. del Castillo
6. Population and Community Ecology
Alfonso Valiente Banuet and Héctor Godínez-Alvarez
7. Consumption of Platyopuntias by Wild Vertebrates
Eric Mellink and Mónica E. Riojas-López
8. Biodiversity and Conservation
Thomas H. Boyle and Edward F. Anderson
9. Mesoamerican Domestication and Diffusion
Alejandro Casas and Giuseppe Barbera
10.Cactus Pear Fruit Production
Paolo Inglese, Filadelfio Basile, and Mario Schirra
11. Fruits of Vine and Columnar Cacti
Avinoam Nerd, Noemi Tel-Zur, and Yosef Mizrahi
12. Forage, Fodder, and Animal Nutrition
Ali Nefzaoui and Hichem Ben Salem
13. Nopalitos, Mucilage, Fiber, and Cochineal
Carmen Sáenz-Hernández, Joel Corrales-Garcia, and Gildardo Aquino-Pérez
14. Insect Pests and Diseases
Helmuth G. Zimmermann and Giovanni Granata
15. Cactus Breeding and Biotechnology
Brad Chapman, Candelario Mondragon Jacobo, Ronald A. Bunch, and Andrew H. Paterson

Index