|
Potential for
domestication and commercialization of Hoodia and
Opuntia species in Botswana
Tibe, O.1*, Modise, D. M.2
and Mogotsi, K. K.1
1Faculty of Agriculture,
Botswana College of Agriculture, P/Bag 0027, Gaborone.
Botswana.
2College of Agriculture and
Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, P.O. Box
392, Tshwane, 0003, South Africa.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
otibe@bca.bw, Tel: ++267 365 0269, Fax: ++267 392 8755.
Accepted 10 April, 2007 |
|
The species Hoodia (Apocynaceae) and Opuntia
(prickly pear) (Cactaceae) are highly efficient in water use
and belong to the Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) group
of plants. These plant species are quite abundant in
Botswana especially in the Kalahari Desert, prickly pear
being the most dominant even though they have received very
little commercial attention in the country. Elsewhere in the
world, prickly pear has multiple uses such as their
utilisation in the pharmaceutical industry, as a source of
food and drink for animals in the rural communities, and are
important in the weaving and clothing industry. Other
important uses of the species are manufacturing of paper,
making of toothpicks, needles, pins and for numerous
essential products. Recently the world has been introduced
to Hoodia gordonii or curorri that works as a
natural appetite suppressant. This paper reviews the
potential uses of Opuntia and Hoodia spp,
identifies the important species used by communities in
Botswana and recommends protocols and instruments for
research, cultivation, and commercialization of these
species in the country.
Key words:
Commercialisation, communities, domestication Hoodia,
Opuntia. |
