The three types that producers prefer the most:

The types of the cultivated prickly pears are 3. the yellow one ( Sulfarina), the white one (Muscaredda) and the red one (Sanguigna). In Italy, the most widespread species is the Sulfarina, due to greater productivity in intensive farming systems. However, today the trend is the cultivation of all three types in order to have a product which is characterized by different colours in the fruit market. Some varieties grown in Mediterranean countries, which have good taste and they haven’t got thorns are:

- very early: Mexican: A variety with large green fruit, white flesh torn when they mature.

- early: Corfu: it has got large, light green fruit with white flesh. It is not a productive variety.

Guayacuil: it has got medium, pale green fruit with white flesh. It is not a productive variety.

Fusicaulis: it has got very large, greenish fruit with white flesh. It is a quite productive variety.

Morado: it has got quite large, light green fruit with white flesh. It is a quite productive variety.

-Medium:

Algerian: it has got medium, completely red fruit. It is a very productive variety.

Gymnocarpa: it has got large, completely yellow fruit. It is a very productive variety.

-Mid late:

Fusicaulis van Heerden: it has got large, greenish fruit with yellow flesh. It has a tendency to tear the fruit.

Roly – Poly: it has got small reddish fruit. It is a productive variety.

Muscatel: it has got very large, bright green fruit with white flesh.

Signal: it has got quite large, completely red fruit. It is a very productive variety.

-Late:

Albitel: it has got large, totally red fruit.

Skinners: it has got large, totally green fruit. It is a quite productive variety.

-Too late:

Blue Motto: it has got large, green fruit with orange flesh. It is a productive variety.

Malta: it has got medium, completely yellow fruit. It is a productive variety.