Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. (Cactaceae) in Climate Change Scenarios and Its Potential for Wastewater Bioremediationin Semi-Arid Regions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Anthropogenic actions have caused climatic changes and contamination of water resources, generating negative consequences for plants and instigating the search for new alternatives for water treatment. The objective of this work was to use a systematic and narrative review in databases and meta-analysis to assess the state of the art on the implications of climate changes in forage palm crop and to highlight the potential of this cactus for wastewater bioremediation, as well as to verify if this form of water treatment is used in semi-arid regions, especially in the semi-arid region of Brazil. Systematic review, narrative and meta-analysis were used, searching the database. The articles obtained with a theme pertinent to the study were carefully analyzed. The data were submitted to descriptive analysis and meta-analysis using random effects model. It was verified that the forage palm is a strategic crop for cultivation in the semi-arid, mainly for its expressive adaptive capacity, through the activation of defense mechanisms against sudden variations in temperature, CO2 atmospheric concentration, photosynthetic active radiation and soil water availability. In addition, forage palm has a high potential for wastewater bioremediation, reaching an average of 82.71% of water contaminants. In one study, the authors report that this cactus is abundant and can be used for bioremediation of wastewater in semi-arid regions such as northern Ethiopia. No studies were found with the use of palm for bioremediation of wastewater in the semi-arid region of Brazil.