ISHS Acta Horticulturae 334: I International Pineapple Symposium
EFFECT OF PLANT SIZE ON SUCKER PROMOTION IN 'MAURITIUS' PINEAPPLE BY MECHANICAL DECAPITATION |
| Author: | H.M.S. Heenkenda |
| Keywords: | Apical dominance, axillary buds, propagation |
| Abstract:
A shortage of quality propagules is a major barrier to expansion of pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) production in Sri Lanka. Rapid multiplication using stem splits failed due to the long time requirement and high percentage of casualties in the nursery. Tissue culture propagation is not popular because there is no sustainable demand for such material due to the small size of holdings and irregular planting periods. Mechanical decapitation has been reported to be suitable for the rapid multiplication of pineapple. Therefore, the relationship between plant size and sucker production in mechanically decapitated 'Mauritus' pineapple was studied. Plants having 10–15, 21–25, 26–30 and over 31 mature leaves were decapitated. Suckering occurred in plants with more than 10 mature leaves. There was no significant relationship between size of mother plant and time taken for the first sucker to appear. Plants with more than 31 mature leaves produced the highest sucker yield (4.3 suckers/plant) in the shortest time (87 days after decapitation). | |
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