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By goodadmin | February 16, 2008
The pineapple is a succulent cactus like plant (terrestrial herb) not a fruit tree that can be easily grown in warm sheltered sunny positions with good drainage. It can grow up to 1.5 meters tall and spread out up to 1.2 meters. It is a member of the Bromeliad family and native to southern Brazil and Paraguay area where its wild relatives occur.
The tough leaves grow in large rosettes, arising from a crown. They are long and have a serrate or thorny margin. The flowers arising from the heart of the rosette grow into a compact head on a short, robust stalk. The sepals become fleshy and juicy and develop into the well-known pineapple fruit.
For more than 50 years, the pineapple has become one of the leading commercial fruit crops of the tropics. In world trade, the numerous cultivars are grouped in four main classes, despite much variation within each class. ‘Red Spanish’, “Queen’, ‘Abacaxi’ and ‘Smooth Cayenne’. Ripe fruits
are best eaten fresh by removing the crown, rind and core.
Pests
Nematodes (Rotylenchulus, , Helicotylenchus, Pratylenchus, Ditylenchusand) cause stunting and degeneration unless soil is fumigated.
Diseases
Top rot and root rot are caused by the soil fungi Phytophthora cinnamomi and P. nicotianae var. parasitica prevalent in wet weather. Copper deficiency is evident with dead tips and concave leaves. Crookneck is a condition caused by zinc deficiency.
The most readily available propagation material will be the green-leafed top of a fresh pineapple. The top is cut 2cm below the leaves and the four lower rows of leaves are then removed. The stamp is then washed clean and let to dry, upside-down in the sun for 4-5 days. It is then placed in the ground and the soil is well firmed around it. The Pineapple hardly ever produces seed in cultivated varieties.
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