New perspectives on cactus pear fruit production and postharvest management

Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L. (Mill.)) is cultivated across a wide range of environments, leading to high variability in orchard systems, crop management, and overall productivity. Specific yield potential, strongly related to plant architecture and the number of one-year-old fertile cladodes ha-1, cannot be increased beyond the biological limit of 6-7 fruits per cladode. Therefore, optimizing plant structure and spacing becomes essential to maximize productivity without compromising fruit quality (e.g., size and total soluble solids). However, most of the information on plant development in terms of effective canopy surface area and relationship between fertile and non-fertile cladodes is still missing. The main factor that influences fruit pricing in Europe is crop variability in terms of fruit size, which significantly affects overall crop value. In recent years, new research perspectives on cactus pear production and valorization have emerged, focusing on: a) agronomic strategies and soil-plantmicrobe interactions; b) ecophysiology and plant architecture; c) nutritional value and bioactive compounds; d) postharvest innovation and quality preservation; and e) the valorization of by-products within circular economy approaches. This review aims to integrate these emerging themes and provide a multidisciplinary overview of cactus pear production and postharvest management.