Residues Management Practices and Nitrogen-Potassium Fertilization Influence on the Quality of Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill) Sugarloaf Fruit for Exportation and Local Consumption

Abstract

Heterogeneity in pineapple fruit quality explains the low export volume of fruits from Benin to international markets. This work aims to investigate the influences of residues mulching or burying and N-K fertilization on (1) fresh fruit juice quality and the proportion of fruit meeting European standards and (2) fruit acceptability for fresh local consumption, as well as to identify morphological characteristics most related to fruit chemical quality attributes. The experimental design was a split-plot with three replications, where the main factor was N-K fertilization (T1 = 1.6 N and 1.6 K, T2 = 5.8 N and 6.6 K, T3 = 10 N and 11.6 K, T4 = 1.6 N and 11.6 K, T5 = 10 N and 1.6 K in g·plant−1) and the sub-plot factor was mulching with pineapple residues (no mulching = 0, surface mulching = 10, buried = 10 in t·ha−1). The results suggested that residues mulching and N-K fertilization has improved the percentage of fruit meeting European standards and local acceptability. The treatments T2B (T2 + burying) and T4B (T4 + burying) gave a higher proportion of fruits meeting European standards and were also promising for producing highly acceptable fruits by local consumers. Finally, the results revealed that the ratios of crown length: fruit length, crown length: infructescence length and crown length: median diameter were significantly associated with fruit quality, which has not yet been reported.