Pineapple (Ananas comosus), a member of the Bromeliaceae family, is believed to have originated in South America. With the expansion of global trade, its cultivation and utilization spread rapidly to other parts of the world. Today, pineapple is grown in all hot, wet, intertropical regions, primarily near the equator.
Four main horticultural varieties dominate industrial production: Cayenne, Singapore, Queen, and Red Spanish. Australia and South Africa are key producers of the Queen variety, while the Singapore variety is grown in the Malay Peninsula. Red Spanish is cultivated in the Caribbean, and Cayenne is widely grown in Hawaii, Taiwan, the Philippines, and other major production centers worldwide.
In Nigeria, pineapple cultivation is most prevalent in the southern regions, where it is typically grown as a backyard crop or intercropped with yams, cassava, or cocoa.
No specific planting patterns or special attention are given, and harvesting occurs as the fruits ripen. Since the crop relies on rainfall, it thrives naturally in areas with at least 1,000 mm of annual rainfall but cannot tolerate swampy or waterlogged conditions.
In some regions with favorable soil and climatic conditions, small-scale farms of 0.2–0.5 hectares can be found. Harvested fruits are sold to middlemen, who transport them to large urban cities and northern parts of the country for significant profits.
This informal system of cultivation and distribution highlights the crop’s economic importance, even without large-scale commercial farming practices.
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Uses of Pineapple
Pineapples are widely consumed as dessert fruits in the tropics and subtropics. For the best flavor, they are ideally harvested when fully ripe. However, for shipping purposes, half-ripe fruits are often transported at temperatures of 7–10°C.
A significant portion of the commercial pineapple crop is processed into canned products in the producing countries. The central cylinder of the fruit, after removing the shell and core, is sliced, cut into chunks, or diced.
Crushed pineapple can be produced from small pieces of the fruit’s flesh, while canned juice is extracted from the fruit itself. Pineapple can also be mixed with other fruits to create canned fruit salads.
Sugar syrup can be derived from the mill juice, which was once considered a waste product. Alcohol and citric acid can also be manufactured from pineapple byproducts.
Fresh pineapple flesh and juice contain bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme similar to papain, which is obtained from papaya (Carica papaya). Bromelain has various applications, including use in food processing and medicine. Pineapple can also be used to make wine.
The leaves of the pineapple plant yield 2–3% of a strong, white, silky fiber, measuring 38–90 cm in length. This fiber is utilized in making fine fabrics. Several local medicinal uses have been documented; for example, in Southeast Asia, young, immature fruits are sometimes used as an abortifacient.
In Nigeria, a popular delicacy drink called “soborodo” is made by mixing pineapple with Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa).
Origin and Distribution of Pineapple
The modern pineapple is a cultigen which was domesticated in South America. It has since become semi – naturalized in some areas.
The centre of origin is probably in Paraguay. Pineapples are now widely grown throughout the topics and subtopics. The development as an important economic crop in Malaysia, Hawaii and in all hot, wet inter tropical regions, mainly close to the equator, has occurred during the present time.
Pineapple Cultivars
A large number of cultivators have been recorded, but the number grown in commercial production is mainly limited to the following:
“Cayenne” is the most widely grown cultivar for commercial production and canning, and serves as the basis for the exports of Hawaii, the Philippines, Kenya, Mexico, and Taiwan. It is also increasingly important in Australia, South Africa, Guinea, and Puerto Rico.
In addition to cayenne, three other horticultural varieties represent the bulk of pineapple used in industrial production. These are Singapore, Queen, and Red Spanish. Queen is an old variety, primarily grown in Australia and South Africa, where it is favored for the fresh fruit trade.
The plants, fruits, and shoots are smaller than those of cayenne, and the margins of the leaves have small, closely spaced spines. Fruits ripen early, weighing 0.9–1.3 kg, are of good shape, and grow on short peduncles.
Red Spanish is extensively cultivated in the West Indies, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, and is used mainly in the fresh fruit trade. The plant and fruit size are intermediate between cayenne and Queen. The leaves are long, about 1.2 meters, and spiny.
Singapore is the variety grown in Malaysia for the canning industry. Its leaves are about 50 centimeters long, with smooth margins except for a few spines near the tips.
Ecology of Pineapple
Ananas comosus must have originated in the same region, and most commercial pineapples are now grown at low elevations, between 25° N and 25° S. Pineapples cannot tolerate frost. In Hawaii, located between 19° and 22° N, cayenne is grown from sea level to 600 meters, with maximum and minimum temperatures of 32°C and 10°C, respectively.
At higher elevations in Hawaii, cayenne plants and fruits are smaller, and the flesh is poorer in color, flavor, and has higher acidity. Similar effects occur in winter in Australia.
In Kenya, located on the Equator, where a canning factory has recently been established, production is limited to altitudes of 1,400–1,800 meters, where cayenne has a sugar-acid ratio of 16:1, considered optimal for canning.
Pineapples are tolerant to drought due to their special storage cells. They can be grown with a wide range of rainfall, from 635 to 2,500 mm annually, but the optimum for commercial production is 1,000-1,500 mm.
Much of the commercial production occurs near the sea in areas with high atmospheric humidity, where dew and other moisture collect in the overlapping leaf bases and can be absorbed by the trichomes.
The crop can be grown on a wide range of soils but will not tolerate waterlogging. Sandy loams with a pH of 5-6.5 are preferred.
Pineapple Germination
When producing seeds through artificial cross-pollination, they will be harvested 5-6 months after the operation. The seeds are held in the carpel approximately 1.7 cm below the surface of the fruit and can be obtained by cutting the fruits into longitudinal sections and removing the flesh around the core to access the carpel cavities.
The seeds should then be washed and dried. It will be observed that germination is slow and irregular unless the seeds are first treated with concentrated sulfuric acid for about one minute. Seeds should be sown in sterilized sand and kept at a temperature of about 32°C.
Germination should occur in about 10 days, and after 30-40 days, the seedlings should be transplanted into flats of composted soil. They are then transplanted to the field at 15-18 months, after which they will take 16-30 months to produce mature fruits.
Chemical Composition of Pineapple
You will find out that the edible portion, which constitutes about 60% of the fresh fruit,, contains approximately:
| Water | – | 85% |
| Protein | – | 0.4% |
| Sugar | – | 14% |
| Fat | – | 0.1% |
| Fibre | – | 0.5% |
Canned pineapple is syrup contains about:
| Water | 76% |
| Protein | 0.4% |
| Sugar | 22.6% |
| Acids (citric) | 0.6% |
| Fibre | 0.4% |
It is known that the fruit is a good source of vitamins A and B. The mill juice, from which sugar syrup and sometimes citric acid are obtained, contains, on a dry weight basis, 75-85% sugar and 7-9% citric acid. Pineapples also contain the protease bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme.
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Propagation of Pineapple
Except for breeding work and research purposes, pineapples are almost always propagated vegetatively. The following planting materials can be used:
1. Suckers: These arise from buds below ground level and are sparsely produced.
2. Shoots: These are leafy branches that arise from buds in the leaf axils. Each plant produces up to three shoots. They grow to a length of 35–40 cm when mature but are suitable for planting at 30–35 cm. If left on the plant, they will produce the ratoon crop.
3. Slips: These grow on the peduncle just below or at the base of the fruit, with the plant producing 0–10 slips.
4. Haps:These are shoots produced at the base of the peduncle, intermediate in size between shoots and slips.
5. Crown: This grows from the top of the fruit, with only one crown typically produced, except in the Singapore Spanish variety. At maturity, the crown becomes dormant.
8. Butts or Stumps: These consist of the entire plant after the fruit has been harvested, with the base of the stem, roots, leaves, and peduncle removed. These are used for propagation in Australia and South Africa.
All the above forms of planting material have considerable resistance to desiccation and can be stored for several weeks before planting.
Field Establishment and Management
The normal crop cycle for pineapples is four years from planting to replanting the same land with a new crop. This includes one plant or first crop, one ratoon crop, and 6–9 months for land preparation for the new crops. Occasionally, a second ratoon crop is grown, which adds another year to the cycle.
To prepare new land, clear the area. For replanting, old plants can be knocked down, crushed, chopped, and incorporated into the topsoil, a process that can be done mechanically. Plough the fields to a depth of 25–30 cm and allow the plant material to decompose. The soil should be finely prepared before planting, and fumigation may be necessary to eliminate nematodes and other harmful organisms.
Pineapples are typically planted at a density of 40,000 to 45,000 plants per hectare, using shoots, slips, or crowns. They are planted in beds with two rows spaced 60 cm apart and 15 cm from the edge. Plants within the rows are spaced 25–35 cm apart, and the rows are staggered to alternate plant positions. The distance between beds is 75–90 cm.
Weeding is essential, particularly during early growth. It can be done manually, mechanically, with selective herbicides, or using a combination of these methods.
Heavy fertilizer application is required. Apply calcium ammonium nitrate at a rate of 112 kg/ha either before or 3 months after planting, with additional applications every 3–6 months, totaling up to 450–670 kg during the cropping period. Potassium sulphate should be applied at 225–450 kg/ha, and ammonium phosphate at 170–280 kg/ha.
Iron deficiency causes leaf sclerosis, leading to reddish coloration in young fruits, while zinc deficiency results in mottled yellowing of leaves with some epidermal sclerosis. These deficiencies can be corrected with ferrous sulphate and zinc sulphate sprays, respectively. Excess calcium and manganese can cause stunted growth in plants.
Harvesting
Pineapples can be induced to flower and fruit earlier than usual through the application of ethylene, acetylene, or growth hormones. The commonly used growth hormone for this purpose is NAA (naphthaleneacetic acid) or its sodium salts.
Hormones can be applied to synchronize fruiting in ratoon plants and ensure flowering at a predetermined date. They can also be used to force late-flowering first-crop plants to flower and fruit with the rest of the crop.
Fruits are harvested by hand, as it is essential to pick only fully ripe fruits. The yield per hectare for the plant crop ranges from 38 to 75 tons, while the ratoon crop typically produces about half of this quantity.
Pests and Diseases of Pineapple
Butterfly larvae can cause significant damage to the fruits. The Yellow Spot Virus leads to the formation of yellow spots on the upper surface of the leaves.
This article has discussed pineapple and shown the universality of its use as fresh, canned, sliced, syrupped fruit all over the world. You have been informed of the centre of origin, distribution and present areas of cultivation.
The article has also demonstrated that the crop can be produced on varied type of soils. You have learnt that the fruit which is a universal delicacy can be shipped virtually to any part of the universe for use.
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