Pineapple

Botanical Name     : Ananas comosus

Family                    : Bromeliaceae

 Morophology

Pineapple plant is a monocot. Herbaceous 2.5-5 ft tall and 3-4 ft wide. There are short central stem in conspicuous in the centre of rosette of long. The leaves are sessile and whorled around a central stem and increase in size toward the top of the plant. Individual leaves range in length from 2 to 8 inches for new plants and up to slightly more than 5ft on mature healthy plants.

          Leaves may or may not have spines along their edges depending upon variety and growing conditions. Pine apples semi – rigid leaves collect water at their bases where aerial roots may absorb the water and nutritents. Once the plant has produced between 70 and 80 leaves, it is ready to flower.

 Flower

Flowers are small, purple-red, subtended by a single yellow, green or red bract, borne laterally on elongating stem in spike of 100-200 individual.

The individual flowers are hermaphroditic with 3 sepals and petals. Six stamens and I pistil. Flowers are self stile but seedless fruit are set parthenocarpically. If flowers are pollinated a few hard seeds may be found in the fruit.

 Fruit

The fruit of pine apple is a seedless syncarp. A syncrap is a fruit derived from the fusion of many individual flowers in to fruit. The fruit consist of the fused overies, bases of sepals and bracts and  contex of the central core. When fruit are mature the individual fruitless flatten and the peel color begins to change from green to yellow progressively from the base to the top of the fruit. Ripe fruit have a yellow peel and pleasant aroma. Pupils yellow to golden yellow sweet and juicy.

 Varieties

There are two popular varieties.

Murusi

This is cultivated in large and use as diet directly.

Medium size plant more spines on leaves.

This is an important variety which produced many

slips and suckers fruit size small to intermediate.

Conical shape raised, clear eyes about 1-1.5kg with

deep golden yellow flesh and good aroma sugar

content rangers from 14-17% TSS

Kew

The plant size is larger than Mauritius. The leaves

are smooth with only a few spines at the tips and at the base.

The fruit is cylindrical shape. The fruitless eyes are large and fat.

The fruit turns deep yellow when ripe. The flesh is yellow

colour firm and juicy. This variety is mainly used for canning industry.

 Characters of the pine apple cultivars.

	Spin	Quality of flesh	Canning quality	Fruit weight(kg)	Shape of fruit	Colour of ripen fruit	Flavor & aroma
Smooth caynne	No	Good	Very good	2.5	Cylindrical	Yellow with green mottling	pleasent
Kew	No	Very good	Very good	2.5	Cylindrical	Yellow with green mottling	pleasent
Queen	Yes	Very good	No	1.0	Conical	Golden yellow	Excellent
Moiuritius	Yes	Very good	F	1.2	Conical	Golden yellow	Excellent

 Climate

·        Optimum temperature                        24-32C⁰

·        Annual rain fall of                              1500-3000mm

·        Elevation                                            1220m below

·        Optimum Relative Humidity              85-90%

·        Responses to controlled Atmospheres       3.5% O₂ and 5-8% CO₂          

Soil

Any type except heavy clay and high calcium soils. Well drained sandy loams with PH 5.5-7.5

 Suitable ecological conditions for pine apple cultivation

v At higher altitude  - too acid fruits

v At lower altitude             - too sweet

v Not tolerate to water logging.

v Tolerant to drought due to special plant characters.

1.     Special water storage cells.

2.     Funnel shape plant.

3.     Leaves angled to 45C⁰

4.     U shaped and wax coated leaf blade.

5.     Spiny leaves.

6.     Root system near the base of the leaves.

7.     CAM photosynthesis system.

Propagation

All commercial propagation of pine apple is done by usual methods using planting pieces taken from the mother plant. The main parts of the planting materials used are the sucker slip and crown. The sucker is the “Shoot” or new plant coming from the mother plant.

Planting materials

Suckers

BA rise from buds below ground level. They are partially produced.

Shoots

Leafy branches arising from buds in the leaf axils. Each plant produced 0-3 shoots.

Slips

Slips are born on the peduncle just below or on the base of fruit.

Crown

From the top of the fruit. Normally only one crown is produced.

Free Treatments for planting materials

Insecticide Treatments

Profonophos 300ml + Water 100ml = Insecticide treatment solution

Immerse planting materials about 05 minutes.

In insecticide treatment solution

Fungicide Treatment

Manco2eb 64% + Metalaccil 8% = Fungicide treatment solution 200g

One day after insecticide treatment reimmerses planting materials about 5 minutes Fungicide treatment solution. But never perform both treatments at one time. After these treatments planting materials store in cool place for 3 days and then plant materials are suitable for place the field.

Planting

Land preparation

After primary tillage and secondary tillage prepare narrow channels deep0 and with about 20cm.

Time

Planting can take place throughout the year as planting materials becomes available.

Grading

It is very important that all planting materials be stored in to two or three grades depending on weight rather than apparent size and planted in blocks accordingly. This ensures an even harvest period as well as fruit size.

Planting the pine apple plants on field

Planting is commonly done manually with the holes dug with simple planting tools of various sizes. Good soil preparation makes it easy to place the crown butt deep enough in to the soil.

Spacing of the pine apple

	Between rows (m)	Within rows(m)	No of plant requirement
Single row method	2	30	6500
	2	40	5000
	2	50	4000
Double row method	1	30	16500
	1025	30	14000
	1	50	10000
	1.5	50	7600

Hormone application

The flowering stage is taken place months of January and August. But fruits could be obtained by using hormones through of the year. The hormones should be applied to the crop four month before harvesting. The age of the first crop should be in 8-10 months or it is consisted of 30-35 leaves.

Kind of hormones	Trade Name	Quantity of  applied	Quantity of  applied toa crop
1.     CAC2	Calcium carbanate	300g+10d (water)	50ml
2.     ANAA A/fanatha acitic acid	Plantipiks	1ml+4.5d (water)	50ml
3.     Ethylene	Ethral	20ml+30d (water) +666g (Urea)	100ml

Fertilizer application

Fertilizer application for pine apple (11:7:31 mixture- 4:p2o s:k2o)
Kind of fertilizer	Urea	Super phosphate	Rock phosphate	Muriate of potash kg/ha	Addition
Make the mixture	24	-	25	51	100
To a crop(g)	7.2	-	7.5	15.3	30
Kg/ha	72	-	75	153	300
Make the mixture(kg)	24	15	-	51	90
To a crop(g)	7.2	5	-	15.3	27.5
Kg/ha	72	50	-	153	275

Application Time

	Fertilizer mixture of N.P.K.(11:7:31)g/ plant
At 01 month after planting	28
At 03-04 month after planting	28
At 06-08 month after planting	28

Pine apple pests

 

Mealy bug

Fruit borer

Stem borer

Mematodes

Rates

Pine apple beetle

Sym phylids

Mites

Termites

Scale insects

Pine apple wilt is the major pest problem due to mealy bug damage. The leaves turn orange brown and wither. Mealy bugs could be controlled by spraying of insecticide with carry the mealy bugs from diseased to healthy plants. Control is different because there are many weeds and other local plants acting as mealy bug hosts.

Diseases

v Terminal mottle

v Yellow spots (Virus)

v Heart/ root rot (Fungus)

v Butt rot

v Phythium (Fungus)

v Acetic souring (bacteria)

v Glassy spoilage (bacteria)

v Yeast fermentation (Fungus)

Ø Pine apple wilt virus

Bright pink colouration and downward curlin of leaves are characteristics symptoms of this disease. Mealy bugs acting as pine apple wilt virus hots. Therefore mealy bug should be controlled. The disease plants must be destroyed and suckers for propagation should never be collected from the infested area. The diseases can be controlled by dipping planting material 0.3% dithane 2-78 or by spraying on leaves.

Name	Chemical compounds	Apply stage
Mealy bug	Selection or tokthion	Pretreatment at 5.8and 14after planting
Heart root rot	Ridomil mancozed	Pre treatment after suckers dipped in the solution in 5 minutes
Phythium	Mancozeb Topsin	If spreaded
Scale insect	Malathion or white oil	-

Central of common diseases and pests for pine apple

    

Also pretreatments are helped to avoid many pest and diseases.

Weeds control

Fertilizer Management

Water Management

Proper desuckering

Harvesting

The fruit takes between 115 to 130 days to mature after flowering. Fruits can be harvested by hand where fruit are cut or broken off stalks using a sharp kni

Storage

Storage is done between 3-4 weeks at temperature of 8-10C⁰and 85-90% humidify under ambient temperature (25 C⁰ -30C⁰)4-5 dauys.

Pine apple processing

Pine apple pulp

Fruit cocktails

Juice

Nectar

Fruit sauces

Glazing

Dried pine apple slices

Pine apple wine

Flavored yoghurt

Ice cream

Nutritional value

Nutritional value for 100g

Material	Quantity
1.     Water	87.8 (g)
2.     Energy	46.0(kcl)
3.     Protein	0.4 (g)
4.     Fat	0.1 (g)
5.     Starch	10.8 (g)
6.     Calcium	20.0
7.     Phosphous	9.0 (g)
8.     Ferrus	1.2 (g)
9.     Carrotin (Vit A)	18.0(mg)
10.                        Thayamine  (Vit B)	200.0(mg)
11.                        Riboflavine(Vit B)	120.0(mg)
12.                        Neyacine(Vit B)	0.1(mg)
13.                        Vitamin C	39.0(mg)