GROWTH ANALYSIS FOR THREE PINEAPPLE CULTIVARS GROWN ON PLASTIC MULCH AND BARE SOIL

Andrés Rebolledo-Martínez, Ana Lid Del Ángel-Pérez, Alberto E. Becerril-Román and Laureano Rebolledo-Martínez

Andrés Rebolledo-Martínez. M.Sc. and Doctor of Sciences in Fruticulture, Colegio de Postgraduados (CP), Montecillo, Mexico. Researcher, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Mexico. Address: P.O. Box 43, C.P. 95641. Cd. Isla, Veracruz, México. e-mail: rebolledoandres@yahoo.com.mx

Ana Lid del Ángel-Pérez. M.Sc. in Social Anthropology, Universidad Iberoamericana and Doctor of Sciences in Tropical Agroecosystems. CP, Montecillo, Mexico. Researcher, INIFAP, Mexico. e-mail: aldap28@yahoo.com.mx

Alberto Enrique Becerril-Román. M.Sc. in Fruticulture, CP, Montecillo, Mexico. Ph.D. in Plant Physiology, University of London, England. Professor Researcher, CP, Montecillo, Mexico. e-mail: becerril@colpos

Laureano Rebolledo-Martínez. M.Sc. in Tropical Agroecosystems, CP, Montecillo, Mexico. Researcher, INIFAP, Mexico. e-mail: rebolledo.laureano@inifap.org.mx

Resumen

Con la finalidad de establecer el ritmo de crecimiento de tres cultivares de piña (Ananas comosus var. comosus) desarrollados sobre suelo con y sin cubierta plástica, se estableció un experimento en Veracruz, México. La precipitación anual fue de 1200mm, la temperatura promedio anual de 23ºC a 50msnm. El diseño experimental fue en bloques al azar con cuatro repeticiones y arreglo de tratamientos en parcelas divididas. Los tratamientos fueron con y sin cubierta plástica, y en cada una se ensayaron los cultivares ‘Champaka’, ‘Oro’ y ‘Cayena Lisa’. Se midió el peso seco total y área foliar en ocho muestreos durante el ciclo; se estimó el índice de área foliar (IAF), tasa de crecimiento relativo (TCR), tasa unitaria foliar (TUF) y relación de área foliar (RAF). Las plantas desarrolladas sobre suelo con cubierta plástica fueron superiores a aquellas desarrolladas sobre suelo desnudo en producción de materia seca, área foliar e IAF, presentando mayor TCR y TUF, y menor RAF. El cultivar ‘Oro’ mostró la más alta TCR y ULR durante la etapa vegetativa en relación con los otros cultivares, pero menor que ‘Cayena Lisa’ durante la etapa reproductiva; ‘Champaka’ tuvo un comportamiento intermedio. No hubo diferencias significativas entre cultivares en relación a producción de materia seca, área foliar y LAI.

Summary

In order to determine the growth behavior of three pineapple cultivars (Ananas comosus var. comosus) grown on soil with and without plastic mulch and bare soil, an experiment was established in Veracruz State, México. The annual rainfall was 1200mm, the annual average temperature 23ºC and the altitude of 50masl. The experimental design was in randomized blocks with four replications in a split plot; the treatments were plastic mulch and bare soil, and in each one the cultivars ‘Champaka’, ‘Oro’ and ‘Smooth Cayenne’ were evaluated. Dry mass accumulation and foliar area of the plants were determined at eight different dates during the production cycle and the relative growth rate (RGR), unit leaf ratio (ULR), leaf area ratio (LAR), and leaf area index (LAI) were estimated. Plants grown on soil with plastic mulch cover were superior to those grown on bare soil for foliage dry mass production, leaf area and LAI, presenting higher RGR, ULR and lower LAR. Plants of the ‘Oro’ cultivar showed higher RGR and ULR during the vegetative phase in relation to the other cultivars, but lower ones than ‘Smooth Cayenne’ plants during the reproductive phase. ‘Champaka’ had an intermediate behavior. There were no significant differences among the cultivars in relation to lead dry mass production, leaf area and LAI.

Resumo

Com a finalidade de estabelecer o ritmo de crescimento de três cultivares de abacaxi (Ananas comosus var. comosus) desenvolvidos sobre solo com e sem coberta plástica, se estabeleceu um experimento em Veracruz, México. A precipitação anual foi 1200mm, a temperatura média anual de 23°C a 50msnm. O desenho experimental foi em blocos aleatórios com quatro repetições e arranjo de tratamentos em parcelas divididas. Os tratamentos foram com e sem coberta plástica, e em cada uma se ensaiaram os cultivares ‘Champaca’, ‘Oro’ e ‘Cayena Lisa’. Mediu-se o peso seco total e área foliar em oito amostras durante o ciclo; estimou-se o índice de área foliar (IAF), taxa de crescimento relativo (TCR), taxa unitária foliar (TUF) e relação de área foliar (RAF). As plantas desenvolvidas sobre solo com coberta plástica foram superiores a aquelas desenvolvidas sobre solo desnudo em produção de matéria seca, área foliar e IAF, apresentando maior TCR e TUF, e menor RAF. O cultivar ‘Oro’ mostrou a mais alta TCR e ULR durante a etapa vegetativa em relação com os outros cultivares mas, menor que ‘Cayena Lisa’ durante a etapa reprodutiva; ‘Champaca’ teve um comportamento intermédio. Não houve diferenças significativas entre cultivares em relação a produção de matéria seca, área foliar e LAI.

Keywords / Ananas comosus var. comosus / Cultivars / Growth Rate / Plastic Mulch /

Received: 02/02/2005. Modified: 10/16/2005. Acepted: 10/17/2005.

Introduction

Over 90% of commercial pineapple plantations in Mexico are established in the rainy season and in the majority of these regions, 80% of the rain falls from June to October (Rebolledo et al., 2000). Hence, the use of plastic to cover the soil is an option to improve the conditions of soil humidity (Py et al., 1984) and increase yield and quality of the fruit (Dole and Dole, 1991; Rebolledo, et al., 1997). On the other hand, even though there are many pineapple cultivars worldwide (Cunha et al., 1999), most plantations in Mexico are established with the ‘Smooth Cayenne’ cultivar (Rebolledo et al., 2000) and only a few have the genotypes ‘Champaka’ and MD-2 (‘Oro’), which have shown outstanding performances in agroecosystems of other pineapple regions in the world (Del Monte, 1994; Jiménez, 1996).

The methodology of growth analysis provides an effective method for evaluating plant development allowing to quantify dry mass production and distribution of the plant (Hunt, 1982; Torres, 1984; Becerril and Quinlan, 1993). The main indices to analyze plant growth are the Relative Growth Rate (RGR) that represents plant efficiency to produce new material in a specific period; the Unit Leaf Rate (ULR), equivalent to the Net Assimilation Rate (NAR), that measures the efficiency of the foliar area to produce new material in a specific period, and the Leaf Area Ratio (LAR), which indicates the leaf area quantity produced in relation to the total dry weight of the plant (Hunt, 1982; Becerril and Quinlan, 1993). The functional approach analysis uses data from samples collected periodically, and it has been carried out successfully for annual, biannual and perennial crops, either of short size or reduced longevity (Brand et al., 1987).

Studies on growth and development in the cultivation of pineapple during its vegetative phase indicate that the RGR is similar for planting densities of 60000 plants·ha-1 (IRFA, 1987) and 30,000 plants·ha-1 (Rebolledo et al., 1993), with values ranging from 5.1 to 9.6mg·g-1·day-1 at high densities (Tay and Tan, 1971) and 6.84mg·g-1·day-1 at low densities (Rebolledo et al., 1993). In Mexico, ULR ranged from 1.7 to 2.3g·m-2·day-1 at low densities whereas at high densities in Malaysia had a similar trend, with values from 0.66 to 1.3g·m-2·day-1, (Tay and Tan, 1971; Rebolledo et al., 1993). Bartholomew et al. (2002) found LAR values for pineapple ranging from 0.3 to 0.8cm2·g-1 under controlled conditions, the highest values being recorded during the early plant development stages, while in Mexico Rebolledo et al. (1993) found a LAR from 1.0 to 1.3cm2·g-1 until flowering, the higher rates being recorded at the early stages. In Hawaii, with a density of 66000 plants·ha-1, the foliar area at eight months was 0.7m2 (Bartholomew y Kadzimin, 1977), whereas in Mexico, at a lower density (30000 plants·ha-1) and the same plant age, a higher value was obtained (1.1m2); in this case differences in climates and planting densities may have accounted for plant leaf area differences (Rebolledo et al., 1993). For dry mass production a hectare with 50000 plants could yield about 45ton (Lacoeuille, 1978). The object of this study was to determine and compare the growth behavior of pineapple plants from the cultivars ‘Champaka’, ‘Oro’ and ‘Smooth Cayenne’ grown in soil with and without plastic cover, under tropical subhumid conditions.

Material and Methods

The trial was established in the south of the state of Veracruz, Mexico, at the Papaloapan Research Station (INIFAP) located at 18º06'N and 95º31'W, at 50masl. The climate is classified as Aw0, the driest of the subhumid climates (García, 1988). Average temperature during the course of the experiment (18 months) was 23ºC. The coldest period took place from Dec to Feb with an average of 19.2ºC and minimum and maximum average temperatures of 16.2 and 28.9ºC, respectively. The warmest period was from Apr to Jun, with an average of 23.5ºC and extremes of 20.9 and 36.7ºC. Rainfalls were 1,344mm from Jan 1998 to Jun 1999 (planting to cropping) and 1,173mm during 1998, with the following distribution: 6.7% from Jan to May, 79.3% from Jun to Oct and 14% from Nov to Dec. From Jan to May 1999, the rainfall reached only 56mm. The soils are Cambisoils, with a predominant sandy loam texture, low contents in organic matter and nutrients, a pH of 4-4.5 and salinity of 0.06dS·m-1.

The experimental design was in completely randomized blocks with are having four replications and treatment distribution in a split plots array. The experimental unit (small plots) consisted of three 9m long planting beds (distance of 1.25m from center to center of the beds) with two rows per bed spaced 45cm. The distance between plants within the row resulted in a density of 45000 plants·ha-1. There were 120 plants per plot, 56 of them set up in the four central rows being used for evaluations. In these small plots the cultivars ‘Champaka’, ‘Oro’ and ‘Smooth Cayenne’ were studied, whereas in the big plots the treatments studied were plastic cover and no cover (bare soil). The planting was done in Dec, 1997 with suckers of 500g. Black polyethylene mulch of caliber 125 was placed by hand along the beds. Fertilization doses were 14-8-14-4g of N, P2O5, K2O and Mg per plant (equivalent to 675, 360, 675, 180kg of N, P2O5, K2O and Mg per ha, respectively). The other cultural practices were done in agreement with the technical recommendations provided for the region (Rebolledo et al., 1998).

For growth analysis, samples were taken at eight different moments of the cycle. In each one a plant of intermediate size was taken from each experimental unit according to the technique proposed by Sanford (1962). Total foliage biomass content and fresh matter were determined. Dry weight was obtained by drying at 70°C for 72h. Total foliar area was estimated from the total leaves fresh weight, following the equation by Rebolledo (1992):

Foliage Area (cm2) = 34.6087 + 5.65202 * total leaves fresh weight in g.

Foliar area index was also calculated dividing the foliage area by the surface soil (in m2) for all the cultivation cycle.

Data obtained for total plant dry matter and foliar area were logarithmically transformed and the regression equations were adjusted for each level of the factors studied. The adjusted model was of third degree. The parallelism of cubic lines was tested by the Extra Sum of Squares technique (Martínez and Castillo, 1987) for each one of the factors.

Relative growth rate (RGR); unit leaf rate (ULR) and leaf area ratio (LAR) were calculated as described by Richards (1969), Hunt (1982) and Becerril and Quinlan (1993).

where b, c and d: parameters estimated from the adjusted curve, t: time in days, and DW: dry weight.

where (b+2ct+3dt2): the previously calculated RGR, loge DW and loge FA: natural logarithms of total dry weight and area foliage values respectively, from the adjusted equations.

where logeFA-logeDW: natural logarithms of foliar area and dry weight values respectively, from the adjusted equations.

Results and Discussion

Total dry matter

Plants grown on soil with plastic cover presented higher dry matter than those grown on bare soil during the cycle (Figure 1). This indicates that the cover improved the conditions for plant development, as was indicated by Py et al. (1984); especially providing a better conservation of soil humidity (Dole and Dole, 1991; Rebolledo et al., 1997). In all treatments, maximum leaf dry matter production was reached during the flowering period (14 months after planting), when the last leaves developed after the flowering induction treatment. From then until fruit harvest the demand imposed by the development of the fruit slips and results in a reduction of the total leaf dry weight suckers (Malézieux, 1986, 1993. Figure 1). These demands are met by translocation of nutrients and photosynthates from the vegetative organs, as was also shown by Lima et al. (2002).

The cultivars had a similar performance along the major part of the cycle, although, at the beginning and the end of the cycle, ‘Smooth Cayenne’ presented a higher total dry matter than ‘Oro’ and ‘Champaka’ which showed intermediate values (Figure 1). Lacoeuille (1978) obtained with a density of 50000 plants·ha-1, 45ton of dry matter for ‘Smooth Cayenne’. In this study, a 45000 plants·ha-1 density yielded around 35ton of dry matter. Reinhardt and Medina. (1992) reported lower values for a density of 37500 plants·ha-1 for both cultivars ‘Smooth Cayenne’ and ‘Perola’.

Foliar area and leaf area index

Similar curves (Figure 2) over the crop cycle were obtained for foliar area (FA) and leaf area index (LAI). The values determined for plants grown on soil with plastic cover were always higher than those for bare soil. Having more FA results in larger productivity by soil area, as emphasized by Coombs et al. (1988), who stated that productivity of crops or natural ecosystems should be expressed in terms of land area units. Zhang and Bartholomew (1993) obtained smaller FA indices than those observed in our study, using different planting densities and longer cultivation cycles. There were no statistical differences for both variables except for data sampled at nine months after planting, where ‘Champaka’ and ‘Smooth Cayenne’ performed better than ‘Oro’ (Figure 2). This was similar to previous findings (Tay and Tan, 1971; Rebolledo et al., 1993; Bartholomew and Malézieux, 1994).

Growth analysis

Table I presents the adjusted equations (cubic effects) for total dry weight and total foliage area of the plants. The total dry weight and total foliage area equations were compared inside each factor studied. Differences were found among cultivars and among the two soil cover treatments for both variables (p£0.05).

Relative growth rate

The evolution of the relative growth rate (RGR) over the crop cycle was similar for both soil cover treatments (Figure 3). The values were almost the same until flowering induction, but during the reproduction phase the reduction of RGR was slower for plants on soil with plastic cover, resulting in higher values than those determined for plants on bare soil. This reduction followed a similar trend as that observed for dry matter accumulation, FA and LAI, emphasizing again that during this stage of the cycle the plant metabolism switches mostly from the production of foliage and photosynthates to the mobilization of already available photosynthates to the growth and development of the fruit, slips and suckers (Malézieux, 1993). Regarding the behavior of the cultivars, ‘Oro’ started with a faster relative growth than the other two genotypes, occurring the opposite during the reproductive phase of the plants, especially in comparison to ‘Smooth Cayenne’. This suggests that ‘Oro’ is photosynthetically more efficient, but has a lower total dry matter production, as shown in Figure 1. All three cultivars presented the typical reduction of RGR after flowering induction, a phenomenon observed by others (Bartholomew and Kadzimin, 1977; Rebolledo et al., 1993; Zhang and Bartholomew, 1997).

Unit leaf rate

Results obtained for the unit leaf rate (ULR) were rather similar to those for RGR reported above (Figure 4). Again, the ULR values for plants grown on soil with plastic cover were higher after flowering induction. Likewise, the ‘Oro’ cultivar showed higher rates during the vegetative stage and lower ones in the reproductive phase, with statistical differences in relation to ‘Smooth Cayenne’. The overall shape of the curves were almost the same of those shown for RGR.

Leaf area ratio

The leaf area ratio (LAR) for all treatments studied increased for the first 180 days, but from 250 days onwards it dropped steadily until the end of the cycle (Figure 5). This resulted in an overall different curve from those shown for the other variables, such as dry matter, FAR, LAI, RGR and ULR, which reached their maxima mostly around the flowering induction time (300 days). The plants invest less dry matter into the formation of leaf area from 250 days after planting, but leaf area still increases until 50 days later. Plants grown on soil with plastic cover and higher LAR during the first part of the cycle, and lower values than plants grown on bare soil from eight months after planting.

The LAR values were higher for the cultivar ‘Oro’ in comparison to ‘Champaka’ and ‘Smooth Cayenne’ at the beginning and the final period of the crop cycle (Figure 5). In general, the LAR values are similar to those reported by Rebolledo et al. (1993) and Zhang and Bartholomew (1997). However, Bartholomew et al. (2002) found lower values for ‘Smooth Cayenne’ grown in controlled conditions.

Conclusions

Under environmental conditions characterized by a very uneven rainfall distribution (South of Veracruz State, Mexico) pineapple plants grown on soils with plastic cover present a larger leaf dry mass production, leaf area and leaf area index, and are photosynthetically more efficient as shown by higher RGR, ULR and lower LAR values.

Plants of the ‘Oro’ cultivar presented higher RGR and ULR during the vegetative phase, but lower ones than ‘Smooth Cayenne’ plants during the reproductive phase. ‘Champaka’ had an intermediate behavior. No significant differences among cultivars occurred in relation to leaf dry mass production, leaf area and LAI.

RGR and ULR increased until flowering induction, decreasing during the reproductive phase of the plants as a result of a smaller leaf area production and the provision for fruit development.

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