Pineapple

Land preparation (Pineapple)

• Erosion control
• Prepare the land properly
• Remove trees and stones
• Plough and till the soil a number of times, to achieve a fine tilth, for effective plant rooting.
• Ridge the soil for better drainage, temperature and to improve aeration

1. Seed selection and planting :

• Seed preparation using  suckers
• Seed preparation using  crown
• Slip shoot
• Tissue culture.

Suckers are shoots growing from buds below the ground level and shoots are leaf branches produced from buds in the axils of leaves above ground levels. Both suckers and shoots are produced as daughter plants by side of mother plant, in the post flowering stage. Slips are smaller structures arising from fruit stalks. Crowns which adorns the fruits grow as extention of the central core of fruits and have a large number of leaves arranged closely on a central axils. Tissue culture suckers are produced in laboratory and they are generally disease free.

Performance of plants in terms of vigour, duration, fruit size and quality varies depending on the type and size of planting materials used. Shoots and suckers yield fruits in 17-18 months, slips in 18-20 months and crowns in 22-24 months.

Planting (Pineapple)

Planting is done by hand, with or without the aid of a planting machine. Use of the latter results in uniform, neat plantations.

Plant spacing:

• Spacing from ridge centre to ridge centre: 1, 5 m.
•  Each ridge must carry a double row of plants.
•  Spacing between rows should be 60 cm.
•  Spacing between the plants in the row: 30 cm

• Planting season:
  • Planting takes place at the beginning of the rainy season or it can start any time in the irrigated areas.
  •  Scaly leaves should be removed from the lower portion of the propagule stem to expose the primodia (future roots). If this is not done, establishment will take long.
• Planting density:
  • Pineapple plants respond very positively to high density planting giving satisfactory results under different growing regions.
  •  Some farmers use double rows, others 3 rows, others more.
  • Pineapples are generally planted in double rows spaced with 60cm between the rows, 50cm between plants 120 cm between adjacent double rows. The propagules are planted in these recommended spacing, following triangular method.

 

• Planting methods:
• Flat bed planting: planting is done on flat beds in lines in areas where soil erosion is not a problem.
• Raised bed planting: this system is suitable for low-lying lands. In general, 2-3 lines planting is practiced on raised beds. The channels in between beds facilitate proper drainage and if necessary can be used for irrigation purpose.
• Furrow planting: Field is laid out in trenches, generally 90cm width alternating with mounds. In sloppy areas, trenches are to be made across the slop. Depth of the trenches may be about 22.5 to 30 cm.
• Contour planting: In order to prevent soil erosion due to excessive rainfall, contour planting is advisable.

Crop Management: Pineapple

• Fertilisation :
  • Apply farm yard manute before planting ( 10T/HA)
  • Nitrogen is the nutrient most used by pineapples. It can be applied at the rate of 50 kg per hectare as top dressing one month after planting.
  • Additional nitrogen, pottassium and phosphorus (NPK) can be applied later at the rate of 16: 4:12 grams per plant applied three to six months interval is recommended before maturity. An additional 23.5g/plant of nitrogen rich fertilizer ( urea 46-0-0) is applied from the 4th month after planting (1/3), 6 months after planting (1/3) and after 8 months after planting (1/3) ,
  • Potassium deficiency produces a poor quality fruit; few suckers and slips will be formed. Kcl is therefore applied at the rate of 13 gr per plant, after 6 months after planting.

• Weed Control:

• From the beginning to the second harverst, the farm have to be clean and cleared,
• The farmers have to keep removing the weeds either in the space in the way in between the fruits,
•  Herbicides also can be used to remove the weeds such as Aminitriazol, paraquat, glyphosate, dalapan, Bromacil using between 2 kg and 5 kg per hectar.

• Mulching
• Black polyethylene approximately 90 cm wide is used as mulch in most commercial pineapple plantations. As the mulch is rolled out on the planting bed, its edges are covered with soil. Planting holes are punched through the plastic with a trowel,
• Also, dry grasses or sawdust can be used as mulching materials,
• The mulch increases soil temperature in the root zone, helps to conserve soil moisture, promotes rooting by concentrating moisture in the root zone, and controls weeds.

Insects, Pests and Disease Control: Pineapple

Pineapples rarely suffer from pests and diseases when good growth conditions have been cared for. The following diseases and pests occur especially in systems which lack diversification.

7.1 Pineapple Mealybug Wilt-associated closterovirus (PMWaV)

1. Symptoms:

• Infected plants become yellowish-red to bright red at the leaf tips, this coloration spreading down the leaf with time.
• Soon other leaves turn colour and also show signs of wilting.
• The inner heart leaves remain normal.
• Severely infected plants become stunted and produce small, under-grade and immature fruits.

• The first effect of the disease usually appears in the roots, which stop growing, collapse and then rot; this results in leaves symptoms similar to the effect of drought.
• The disease is probably introduced in planting material, which may not show obvious disease symptoms. Once established, it is spread by mealybugs, sedentary insects, which are moved from plant to plant by attendant ants.

1. Management:

• Use planting material from wilt-free areas.
• Heating pineapple crowns in a large water bath at 50°C for 30 minutes enables 100% plant survival and renders 100% of the plants free of pineapple wilt-associated virus.
• Growth of the heat-treated plants is more rapid than in non-heat-treated plants.
•  Plant resistant varieties if available. Some varieties of pineapple are more resistant to the virus than others, the variety Cayenne (and ‘Masmerah’) being highly susceptible. ‘Spanish’ shows some resistance.

7.2. Pineapple mealybug (Dysmicoccus brevipes)

1. Symptoms:

• The mealybugs are oval, pink in color, up to 3 mm long, covered with a whitish waxy secretion, which develops into waxy filaments around the body.
• This mealybug is the most serious pest of pineapples, because it is a vector of the Mealybug or Pineapple Wilt Virus.
• The mealybug is common on the roots of pineapple and large colonies develop on the stems just above ground level.
• The mealybugs may spread upwards to feed in the floral cavities, on both small and mature fruit, and on the crown leaves.
• Heavy infestations are conspicuous because of the white waxy adults, which often occur at the growing points, around the stem nodes, on the undersides of leaves, on the fruit and on the roots.

Picture showing severe infestation of pineapple mealybug on the fruit

1. Management:

• Control ants to give a chance to natural enemies to keep mealybugs under control.
• See also what to do by pineapple wilt virus, specified above.

1. Yellow spot virus:
2. Syptoms:

• The yellow spot virus has been shown to be identical to the tomato spotted wilt virus.
• It infects over a 100 species of plants including peppers, tomato, tobacco, eggplant, potato, broad bean, spinach, chicory and peas.
• A number of wild plants, including some common weeds such as the black jack (Bidens pilosa) and Datura stramonium, are also host of this virus. Thrips are vectors of this virus.
• When host plants of the virus are grown near to pineapple plants, the incidence of the yellow spot virus is considerable enhanced due to thrips migrating into the pineapple field.
• Wind carries thrips long distances and thus also plays an important role in the transmission of the virus.
• Symptoms in the fruit is a blackened, dry cavity in the side of the fruit due to one or more “eyes” having died.
• Thrips feeding on the crown of fruits results in concentric ring patterns developing on crown leaves

1. Management:

• Control weeds in and around pineapple fields. This is very important for disease control because the presence of certain weeds leads to increased number of thrips.
• Cut off the fruits showing early symptoms of infection. This will prevent the spread of infections into the fruits.
• Where this disease is a problem avoid planting near host plants of the thrips and the virus.
• Even if thrips are not strongly inclined to migrate from their favored host plants, they will do so if disturbed, for instance by human passing, animals or machinery.
• Control thrips.

1.  Thrips (Thrips tabaci and Frankliniella schultzei)
2. Symptoms:

• The blossom thrips feeds mainly on flowers and its feeding results in the development of “dead-eye” in the fruit.
• Thrips feeding on the crown of fruits results in concentric ring patterns developing on crown leaves.

1. Management:

• Control weeds in and around pineapple as certain weeds leads to increased number of thrips.
• Remove heavily infested plant material.
• Control thrips in the early stages, in particular immature thrips; adult thrips are unable to pick the virus from infected plants.  Once the immature thrips are infected with the virus they remain vectors for the rest of their lives.
• Spray with insecticide (Lambda-Cyhalothrin,… (1ml/1L of water).
• Also a garlic bulb extract can be sprayed thoroughly on the whole plant, preferably early in the morning. Spraying should be particularly directed to the neck area of the plant for good penetration into the plant.

7.5. Pineapple top and root rot

1. symptoms :

• The leaf edges curve back and leaves are easily pulled out from the plant.
• Internally, the stem and leaf bases become soft, rotten and have an unpleasant smell.
• The growing point of the stem has a cheese-like appearance.
• It is common in young plants of 3-8 months.
• Splashing rain, irrigation water and biting insects act as agents to spread disease.

1. Management:

• Do not plant pineapples in soils prone to waterlogging.
• Ensure good drainage.
• Improve soil by selective fruit rotations and application of organic compost material.
• Avoid overhead irrigation.
• Control insect pests.
• Planting materials can be dipped in copper fungicides before planting or use resistant plants.
• Fungicides can be used to control any fungal complications.

7.6. Black rot of pineapple (Ceratocystis paradoxa)

1. Syptoms:

• White leaf spots are yellow to brown and several cm long.
•  Later they dry to become papery and straw colored.
• Black rot is a post-harvest disease occurring only on injured pineapple fruit.
• Only freshly cut or injured tissue is infected, and a soft black rot with dark colored mycelium develops.

1. Management:

• Use crop management practices that promote germination and rooting.
• In disease prone areas, if possible, plant varieties that are quick to germinate. Varieties that are slow to germinate should be treated in hot water (50°C for two hours).
• Avoid extremely wet or dry soil conditions.
• Do not plant freshly cut pineapples unless dried out
• To prevent the spread of the pathogen, avoid wounds to tissue and remove infected pineapple plants.
• Improve soil drainage and avoid planting during wet weather.

Harvesting: Pineapple

• Pineapples should mature after 15-24 months depending on the planting material used.
• While harvesting it is best to cut, rather than to break the fruit by the stalk.
• With adequate management, the main crop should yield about 70 tonnes/ha, while ratoon crops yield on the average 50 tonnes/ha. At least two ratoon crops can be grown after the plant crop.
• When the production is for export:
  •  Harvest  them while they are not yet too much yellowish ( the yellow at ¼ of the whole fruit)
  • They don’t have to weight more than1.5 kg because the buyer in Europe do like the ones with 1.3-1.5kg with small crown,

• When the production is for processing  industrial supply:
  • Harvest themwhen they are yellowish up to  ¼ of the whole fruit,
  • They have to wiigh up to 1.8kg to 2.0kg,
• When the production is for the local market:
  • Harvest themwhen they are yellowish  up to ½ of the whole fruits,
  • The weight depend to the clients need.

Post-harvet management: Pineapple

• After harvesting pineapples, put them in water container to avoid the hotness they come with from the land
• Put in that water before you transport them either by air or other  transport means , if not refrigerate them,
• The water  have to be disinfected against the pests and other microbes ,
• The selection  of pineaples will depend on weights and quality
• The pesticides used for quality conservation are :
  • Dowicide A: 7 Grams per litter of water – sprayed to the pineapple to maintain its color and prevent any disease,
  • Wax: it contain polyethylene/paraffin compostion. This protects the pinaple against the loss of juice
• The pineaaples are kept to a temperature of 7 ^o C 12°C and 90-95% humidity.
• The Cayenne pineapple variety can be kept like that for 4 weeks.