Heterogeneity in pineapple fruit quality results from plant heterogeneity at flower induction

Abstract

Heterogeneity in fruit quality constitutes a major constraint in agri-food chains. In this paper the sources of the heterogeneity in pineapple in the field were studied in four experiments in commercial pineapple fields. The aims were to determine (a) whether differences in pineapple fruit quality among individual fruits are associated with differences in vigor of the individual plants within the crop at the time of artificial flower induction; and (b) whether the side shoots produced by the plant during the generative phase account for the fruit quality heterogeneity. Two pineapple cultivars were considered: cv. Sugarloaf and cv. Smooth Cayenne. Plant vigor at the time of artificial flower induction was measured by three variates: the number of functional leaves, the D-leaf length and their cross product. Fruit quality attributes measured at harvest time included external attributes (weight and height of fruit, infructescence and crown) and internal quality attributes [total soluble solids (TSS), pH, translucent flesh]. Results showed that the heterogeneity in fruit weight was a consequence of the heterogeneity in vigor of the plants at the moment of flower induction; that effect was mainly on the infructescence weight and less or not on the crown weight. The associations between plant vigor variates at flower induction and the internal quality attributes of the fruit were poor and/or not consistent across experiments. The weight of the slips (side shoots) explained part of the heterogeneity in fruit weight, infructescence weight and fruit height in cv. Sugarloaf. Possibilities for reducing the variation in fruit quality by precise cultural practices are discussed.

Flowering and fruiting of Ananas comosus L. Merr. in two cultivation systems under subtropical conditions

“…After flower induction, pineapple plants show an increase of the width of the apex,which bears the florets (Wee and Rao, 1979). The number of individual fruits is associated with the number of flowers or florets that were developed during flowering (Py, 1969, Hotegni et al, 2014. In our study, optimum environmental conditions in terms of temperature and humidity were found in the greenhouse, which resulted in a greater number of fruits compared to the field treatment.…”

“…Fresh weight and fruit firmness of fruits from both cropping systems were below the values expected for the Smooth Cayenne, which, according to Rebolledo Martínez et al (2006), should range between 1.500 and 3.500g. In terms of fruit weight without crown, several authors indicate that a larger plant size at the time of floral induction allows the harvest of larger fruits (Hotegni et al, 2014). This result corresponds to the fact that the plants grown in the greenhouse showed greater vegetative development at the moment of floral induction (Gonzalez Leguizamón et al, 2013), which agrees with the results of a study from Mexico, where the largest fruits were found in the plants with the highest leaf area index values (Rebolledo Martinez et al,2006).…”

Influence of weight and type of planting material on fruit quality and its heterogeneity in pineapple [Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill]

“…Smooth Cayenne. These values of the product in the two pineapple cultivars were based on recent experiments by Fassinou Hotegni et al ( 2014b ) that indicated that fruit weight for export of pineapple to European markets were met for plants within a crop when the product of the number of functional leaves × the D-leaf length reached at least 1235 leaf.cm in cv. Sugarloaf and 2300 leaf.cm in cv.…”

“…It is well-known that larger or heavier planting material shows more vigorous growth than smaller or lighter planting material (e.g., Norman, 1976 ; Reinhardt et al, 2003 ) and would produce more vigorous plants at flowering induction time than smaller or lighter planting material. Higher plant vigor at flowering induction is associated with higher fruit (defined as infructescence + crown) and infructescence weights, a lower crown weight and crown length and consequently a lower ratio crown: infructescence length (Fassinou Hotegni et al, 2014b ). In this paper, we hypothesize that heavy planting material will produce more vigorous plants at flowering induction and consequently will yield higher average fruit quality than light planting material.…”

Mineral Fertilization Influences the Acceptability of Fresh Pulp and Juice Made from Sugarloaf Pineapple

“…Analysis of the pineapple supply chain showed that the major constraints encountered by producers, wholesalers and processors are the heterogeneity in pineapple quality produced or delivered, poor compliance with quality criteria such as size and sugar concentration, and late delivery [6]. Heterogeneity in pineapple fruit quality (fruit weight and length attributes) at harvest was associated with heterogeneity in plant vigour at flowering induction time [7]. However, the cultural practices, those that guarantee a plant vigour achieving uniform plant development before flower induction need to receive considerable attention.…”