)ig. => + spiny&lea$ed pineapple in the upply garden, <omestead, )la., 176=.

The pineapple is the leading edible member of the family Bromeliaceae which embraces about 2,000 species, mostly epiphytic and many strikingly ornamental. Now known botanically as Ananas comosus Merr. (syns. A. sativus chult. f., Ananassa sativa !indl., Bromelia ananas !., B. comosa !.", the fruit has ac#uired few $ernacular names. %t is widely called pina by panish& speaking people, abacaxi in the 'ortuguese tongue, ananas by the (utch and )rench and the people of former )rench and (utch colonies* nanas in southern +sia and the ,ast %ndes. %n -hina, it is po-lo-mah; sometimes in .amaica, sweet pine* in /uatemala often merely 0pine0 . Description The pineapple plant is a terrestrial herb 2 122 to 3 ft (.43&1.3 m" high with a spread of 5 to 6 ft (.7&1.2 m"* a $ery short, stout stem and a rosette of wa8y, straplike lea$es, long&pointed, 20 to 42 in (30&190cm" 1ong* usually needle tipped and generally bearing sharp, upcur$ed spines on the margins. The lea$es may be all green or $ariously striped with red, yellow or i$ory down the middle or near the margins. +t blooming time, the stem elongates and enlarges near the ape8 and puts forth a head of small purple or red flowers, each accompanied by a single red, yellowish or green bract. The stem continues to grow and ac#uires at its ape8 a compact tuft of stiff, short lea$es called the 0crown0 or 0top0. :ccasionally a plant may bear 2 or 5 heads, or as many as 12 fused together, instead of the normal one. +s indi$idual fruits de$elop from the flowers they ;oin together forming a cone shaped, compound, ;uicy, fleshy fruit to 12 in (50 cm" or more in height, with the stem ser$ing as the fibrous but fairly succulent core. The tough, wa8y rind, made up of he8agonal units, may be dark&green, yellow, orange&yellow or reddish when the fruit is ripe. The flesh ranges from nearly white to yellow. %f the flowers are pollinated, small, hard seeds may be present, but generally one finds only traces of unde$eloped seeds. ince hummingbirds are the principal pollinators, these birds are prohibited in <awaii to a$oid the de$elopment of undesired seeds. :ffshoots, called 0slips0, emerge from the stem around the base of the fruit and shoots grow in the a8ils of the lea$es. uckers (aerial suckers" are shoots arising from the base of the plant at ground le$el* those proceeding later from the stolons beneath the soil are called basal suckers or 0ratoons0.

n international trade, the numerous pineapple culti$ars are grouped in four main classes> ? mooth -ayenne?, ?@ed panish?, ?Aueen?, and ?+baca8i?, despite much $ariation in the types within each class. 'Smooth Cayenne' or ?-ayenne?, ?-ayena !isa? in panish (often known in %ndia, ri !anka, Malaysia and Thailand as ? arawak? or ?Bew?" was selected and culti$ated by %ndians in CeneDuela long ago and introduced from -ayenne ()rench /uyana" in 1920. )rom there it reached the @oyal Botanical /ardens, Bew, ,ngland, where it was impro$ed and distributed to .amaica and Aueensland, +ustralia. Because of the plants near freedom from spines e8cept for the needle at the leaftip and the siDe&6 to 10 lbs (1.9 6.3 kg"&cylindrical form, shallow eyes, orange rind, yellow flesh, low fiber, ;uiciness and rich mildly acid fla$or, it has become of greatest importance worldwide e$en though it is sub;ect to disease and does not ship well. Mainly, it is priDed for canning, ha$ing sufficient fiber for firm slices and cubes as well as e8cellent fla$or. %t was the introduction of this culti$ar into the 'hilippines from <awaii in 1712 that upgraded the 'hilippine industry from the casual growing of the semi&wild type which was often seedy.

Propagation -rowns (or 0tops0", slips (called nlbs or robbers in New outh Eales", suckers and ratoons ha$e all been commonly utiliDed for $egetati$e multiplication of the pineapple. To a lesser degree, some growers ha$e used 0stumps0, that is, mother plant suckers that ha$e already fruited. eeds are desired only in breeding programs and are usually the result of hand pollination. The seeds are hard and slow to germinate. Treatment with sulfuric acid achie$es germination in 10 days, but higher rates of germination (43&70 F " and more $igorous growth of seedlings results from planting untreated seeds under intermittent mist. The seedlings are planted when 13&19 months old and will bear fruit 1=&50 months later. Cegetati$ely propagated plants fruit in 13&22 months. %n Aueensland, tops and slips from the summer crop of ? mooth -ayenne? are stored upside down, close together, in semi&shade, for planting in the fall. ome producers sal$age the crowns from the largest grades of fruits going through the processing factory to be assured of high #uality planting material. outh +frican e8periments with ? mooth -ayenne? ha$e shown medium&siDe slips to be the best planting material. Ne8t in order of yield were large crowns, medium&siDe suckers, medium&siDe crowns and large suckers. Medium and large suckers, howe$er, fruited earlier. Trimming of basal lea$es increased yields. Eorkers in .ohore, Malaya, report, without specifying culti$ar,

that large crowns gi$e highest yield and more slips, followed by small crowns, big slips, small slips, large and small suckers in descending order.

Pineapple is usually commercially propagated vegetatively using ratoon suckers, crowns, slips and side suckers. It important that these vegetative materials be kept separate, as mass, growth rate, harvest dates and other factors differ between the types. For example the crown produce fruits in 18 !" months, slips in 1# !$, side suckers in 18 !$ months, and ratoon suckers in 1$ 1" months %&akasone and Paull, 1''8(. )( *atoon sucker + are shoots produced from the ground level. B) ,ide shoots or sucker are shoots produced above the ground level. -( .asal suckers or slips are located at the base of the fruit. Ratoon suckers: within the weight range of "$$ #$$g are within suitable range for use, slips should be of /#$ "#$g %Ficciagroindia, !$$0(. Suckers and slips needed to be cured in the shade for 8 1$ days before planting to avoid rotting and decay, which would happen if otherwise planted directly in the soil. .efore planting suckers are graded into large, medium and small si1ing to avoid competition between plants of differing si1es. 2he lower leaves are further removed to help facilitate the formation of roots %Ficciagroindia, !$$0(.