Pineapple, the plant
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- Herbaceous perennial; 50 cm high; "fruit" = swollen carpels,
lower partion of calyx, and inflorescence axis; actual fruit (ripened ovaries)
inside "fruit"
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- Adapted to xerophytic conditions (like other members of the Bromeliaceae):
- lower epidermis: trichomes absorbing moisture from air + reduce
transpiration
- overlapping leaf bases: reservoir for water
- root system: long roots: water in deep soil; short roots: water
spilled from leaf reservoir
- annual rainfall: 500 mm - 5,500 mm
- Cultivated in frost-free tropics
- most production is consumed locally; small trade in fresh fruit;
most export production for canning or juice
- Philippines, Taiwan: leaf fibres: cloth, cordage
- stems, fruits: source of bromelain (~ papain): not commercially
exploited
- Maturity:
- Fruits should ripen on the plant for maximum flavor and
sugar content
- Judging the degree of ripeness requires experience and knowledge
of the particular variety.
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Vriesea splendens
Tillandsia usneoides or Spanish moss
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Pineapple, its origin and history
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- Origin:
- Related wild species (part of primary gene pool): all from lowlands
of S. America: Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia
- Difficult to distinguish truly wild populations and escapes
from cultivation
- Most closely related wild species: A. bracteatus and A. fritz-mulleri,
both with fleshy fruits
- Selection for fruit size, self-incompatibility and parthenogenesis
following pollination by other clone (no seeds!)
- Vegetative reproduction:
- fruitcrown ("slips" which arise from the stalk below the
fruit)
- basal offshoots ("suckers" which originate at the axils
of leaves)
- "crowns" which grow from the top of the fruits
- "ratoons" which come out from underground portions of the
stem
- "slips" and "suckers" are the preferred planting material;
production after 2 years vs. 4 years for seed propagation
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- History:
- Dispersal in tropical America prior to 1492; "ananas": word
in Guarani
- After 1492, dispersal over the entire world in tropics: "piña":
pine cone
- Most important cultivar: "Cayenne" (French Guyana)
- Hawaii:
- Cayenne cultivar
- Flower initiation triggered by auxin
- Displaced to other countries (Philippines, Thailand, etc.)
because of high land and labor costs
- Also used as animal (ruminant) feed:
- leaves: up to 100 t/ha
- pineapple "bran" (outer peel and central core) resulting from
processing for canning (50% of fruit fresh weight): up to 10 t/ha
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