Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology

, Volume 56, Issue 1, pp 9–16 | Cite as

Prevention of natural flowering in pineapple (Ananas comosus) by shading and urea application

  • Meng-Tzu Lin
  • Alfred Ming Chen
  • Tzong-Shyan Lin
  • Ching-San Kuan
  • Ching-Lung Lee
  • Wen-Ju Yang
Research Report Cultivation Physiology
First Online:
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:

Abstract

The year-round production of pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus) is often interrupted by natural flowering during winter in Taiwan. A stable and promising technique for preventing natural flowering is required. In this study, we have tested the effect of shading and urea application on the flowering of pineapple. Shading 90% of sun light(s) before mid-November delayed the natural flowering of pineapple and the delay was affected by the plant age. For pineapples planted less than 11 month before mid-November, applying 1% urea plus shading treatment (SN) completely inhibited natural flowering. All the flowering-inhibited plants could be forced to flower by applying calcium carbide. Long-term shading might result in a decreased number of fruitlets within a fruit. However, 6 weeks of recovery before forcing flowering was sufficient for plants to produce fruits with quality equal to that of the control plants. In winter, pineapple plants that were prone to flowering tended to accumulate more leaf starch and increase their C/N ratio. The SN treatment increased the leaf nitrogen concentration and thus effectively maintained a low leaf C/N ratio. Furthermore, flowering-inhibited plants exhibited a constantly low level of leaf starch during the winter and their flowering forced by calcium carbide did not accompany with leaf starch accumulation.

Additional key words

C/N ratio nitrogen starch total soluble sugar 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Literature Cited

  1. Bartholomew, D.P. and S.B. Kadzimin. 1977. Pineapple, p. 113–156. In: P.T. Alvim and T.T. Kozlowski (eds.). Ecophysiology of tropical crops. Academic Press, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Bartholomew, D.P., E. Malézieux, G.M., Sanewski, and E. Sinclair. 2003. Inflorescence, and fruit development and yield, p. 167–202. In: D.P. Bartholomew, R.E. Paul, and K.G. Rohrbach (eds.). The pineapple: Botany, production and use. CABI Publ., Wallingford, U.K.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Dubois, M., K.A. Gilles, J.K. Hamilton, P.A. Rebers, and F. Smith. 1956. Colorimetric method for determination of sugar and related substance. Anal. Chem. 28:350–356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Goldschmidt, E.E., N. Aschkenazi, Y. Herzano, A.A. Schaffer, and S.P. Monselise. 1985. A role for carbohydrate levels in the control of flowering in Citrus. Sci. Hort. 26:159–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Hepton, A. 2003. Cultural system, p. 109–142. In: D.P. Bartholomew, R.E. Paul, K.G. Rohrbach (eds.). The pineapple: Botany, production and use. CABI Publ., Wallingford, U.K.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Kaiser, W.M., H. Weiner, and S.C. Huber. 1999. Nitrate reductase in higher plants: A case study for transduction of environmental stimuli into control of catalytic activity. Physiol. Plant. 105:385–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Kuan, C.S., C.W. Yu, M.L. Lin, H.T. Hsu, D.P. Bartholomew, and C.H. Lin. 2005. Foliar application of aviglycine reduces natural flowering in pineapple. HortScience 40:123–126.Google Scholar
  8. Kubota, S. and K. Yoneda. 1993a. Effect of light on development and nutritional status of Phalaenopsis. J. Japan. Soc. Hort. Sci. 62:173–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Kubota, S. and K. Yoneda. 1993b. Effect of light intensity preceding day/night temperature on the sensitivity of Phalaenopsis to flower. J. Japan. Soc. Hort. Sci. 62:595–600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Ma, T.S. and G. Zuazaga. 1942. Micro-Kjeldahl determination of nitrogen. Ind. and Eng. Chem. 14:280–282.Google Scholar
  11. Malézieux, E., F. Côte, and D.P. Bartholomew. 2003. Crop environment, plant growth and physiology, p. 69–107. In: D.P. Bartholomew, R.E. Paul, and K.G. Rohrbach (eds.). The pineapple: Botany, production and use. CABI Publ., Wallingford, U.K.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Menzel, C.M. and D.R. Simpson. 1987. Effect of cincturing on growth and flowering of lychee over several seasons in subtropical Queensland. Austral. J. Expt. Agr. 27:733–738.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Min, X. and D.P. Bartholomew. 1993. Effect of growth regulators on ethylene production and floral initiation of pineapple. Acta Hort. 334:101–112.Google Scholar
  14. Rabie, E.C., H.A. Tustin, and K.T. Wesson. 2000. Inhibition of natural flowering occurring during the winter months in Queen pineapple in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Acta Hort. 529:185–190.Google Scholar
  15. Rebolledo, M.A., D.E.A. Uriza, and M.L. Rebolledo. 2000. Rate of Fruitone CPA in different applications number during day versus night to flowering inhibition in pineapple. Acta Hort. 529:185–190.Google Scholar
  16. Sale, P.J.M. and T.F. Neales. 1980. Carbon dioxide assimilation by pineapple plants Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. I. Effect of daily irradiance. Austral. J. Plant Physiol. 7:363–373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Scott, C.H. 1993. The effect of two plant growth regulators on the inhibition of precocious fruiting in pineapple. Acta Hort. 334:77–82.Google Scholar
  18. Sideris, C.P., H.Y. Young, and H.H.Q. Chun. 1948. Diurnal changes and growth rates as associated with ascorbic acid, titratable acidity, carbohydrate, and nitrogen fractions in the leaves of Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. Plant Physiol. 23:38–69.CrossRefPubMedCentralPubMedGoogle Scholar
  19. Trusov, Y. and J.R. Botella. 2006. Silencing of the ACC synthase gene ACACS2 causes delayed flowering in pineapple [Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.]. J. Expt. Bot. 57:3953–396.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Van de Poel, B., J. Ceusters, and M.P. De Proft. 2009. Determination of pineapple (Ananas comosus, MD-2 hybrid cultivar) plant maturity, the efficiency of flowering induction agents and the use of activated carbon. Sci. Hort. 120:58–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Wang, Y.T. 1995. Phalaenopsis light requirement during the induction of spiking. HortScience 30:59–61.Google Scholar
  22. Wang, Y.T. 1998. Deferring flowering of greenhouse-grown Phalaenopsis orchids by alternating dark and light. J. Amer. Hort. Sci. 123:56–60.Google Scholar
  23. Wang, R.H., Y.M. Hsu, D.P. Bartholomew, S. Maruthasalam, and C.H. Lin. 2007. Delaying natural flowering in pineapple through foliar application of aviglycine, an inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis. HortScience 42:1188–1191.Google Scholar
  24. Wilkie J.D., M. Sedgley, and T. Olesen. 2008. Regulation of floral initiation in horticultural trees. J. Expt. Bot. 59:3215–3228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Korean Society for Horticultural Science and Springer-Verlag GmbH 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  • Meng-Tzu Lin
    • 1
  • Alfred Ming Chen
    • 1
  • Tzong-Shyan Lin
    • 1
  • Ching-San Kuan
    • 2
  • Ching-Lung Lee
    • 1
  • Wen-Ju Yang
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Horticulture and Landscape ArchitectureNational Taiwan UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
  2. 2.Department of HorticultureChia-Yi Agricultural Experiment Station, TARIChia-YiTaiwan

Personalised recommendations