Selective pruning in pineapple plants as means to reduce heterogeneity in fruit quality.

V Nicodème Fassinou Hotegni,Willemien J M Lommen,Paul C Struik,Euloge K Agbossou

doi:10.1186/s40064-015-0907-9

V Nicodème Fassinou Hotegni, Willemien J M Lommen + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-015-0907-9

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Journal: SpringerPlus	Publication Date: Mar 14, 2015
Citations: 11	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Université d'Abomey-Calavi

Abstract

Heterogeneity in fruit quality (size and taste) is a major problem in pineapple production chains. The possibilities were investigated of reducing the heterogeneity in pineapple in the field by pruning slips on selected plants, in order to promote the fruit growth on these plants. Slips are side shoots that develop just below the pineapple fruit during fruit development. Two on-farm experiments were carried out in commercial fields in Benin with a cultivar locally known as Sugarloaf, to determine (a) the effect of slip pruning on fruit quality; (b) whether the effect of slip pruning depends on the pruning time; and (c) whether slip pruning from the plants with the smallest infructescences results in more uniformity in fruit quality. A split-plot design was used with pruning time (2 or 3 months after inflorescence emergence) as main factor and fraction of pruned plants (no plants pruned (control); pruning on the one-third plants with the smallest infructescences; pruning on the two-thirds plants with the smallest infructescences; pruning on all plants) as sub-factor. Fruit quality characteristics measured at harvest were the fruit (infructescence + crown) weight and length, the infructescence weight and length, the crown weight and length, the ratio crown length: infructescence length, the total soluble solids, the juice pH and the flesh translucency. Results indicated that pruning of slips of any fraction of the plants at 2 or 3 months after inflorescence emergence did not lead to a consistent improvement in quality or uniformity. Consequently it is not recommended to farmers in Benin to prune the slips.

Highlights

In developing countries, many producers –especially the smallholder producers– face difficulties in entering the international market because of the high quality standards and the need to supply high and regular quantities of product (Murphy 2012)
Infructescence length at pruning in the latter data set ranged from 6.0-20 cm in Expt 1 and 8.0-19.0 cm in Expt 2 when pruned at 2 months after inflorescence emergence (MIE), and from 8.5-24.5 cm in Expt 1 and from 8.5-21.5 cm in Expt 2 when plants were pruned at 3 MIE
Our results showed that plants with higher infructescence length at pruning were more likely to have produced slips at pruning time (Figure 3) and produced more slips than plants with lower infructescence length (Figure 4)

Summary

Introduction

Many producers –especially the smallholder producers– face difficulties in entering the international market because of the high quality standards and the need to supply high and regular quantities of product (Murphy 2012). The uniformity in product quality has become an important criterion. A recent study on pineapple [Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill] supply chains in Benin revealed that heterogeneity in. The most important pineapple cultivar in Benin is the sweet cultivar locally known as Sugarloaf –but possibly equal to cv. Pérola– grown by 97% of the pineapple growers (Fassinou Hotegni et al 2014a). In this cultivar type and several other types like cv. Singapore Spanish grown in, e.g., South Asia, three development phases exist: the vegetative phase (from planting to flowering induction); the generative phase (from flower initiation to fruit maturity), and the propagative phase in which new shoots are produced

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