Determination of performance of different prickly fig genotypes under Mersin- Erdemli ecological conditions

The Cactaceae family includes three subfamilies called Pereskioideae, Opuntioideae and Cactoidea. It also refers to a group of approximately 1,600 species. The American continent is considered the nativeland of the prickly pear and its origin is Mexico. It grows naturally in regions such as Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye, Hatay, Antalya and the Southern Aegean coast. The plant can especially adapt to the weather conditions of our country. Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) has spiny, sweet fruits and many seeds, and is also known as a perennial cactus plant. Its aroma is unique. The flesh color of prickly pear fruits varies. It can range from red to orange to yellow to green. The vegetative part consists of cladodes. This research aimed to determine the performance of different prickly pear genotypes in Mersin-Erdemli ecological conditions. For this purpose, fruit samples were taken from the genotypes and pomological analyzes were performed in 2003. Some biochemical properties were also determined in the fruit juices of the genotypes. As a result, it was determined that the fruit traits of the prickly pear genotypes showed a wide distribution. Among these genotypes, especially the 01Dİ07 genotype was found to have superior characteristics in terms of fruit pomological traits