Abstract
Ethylene, a gaseous plant hormone, is responsible for the initiation of reproductive development in pineapple. Reproductive development can be forced in pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus) throughout the year with ethylene. Inhibition of natural flowering initiation with aviglycine [(S)-trans-2-amino-4-(2-aminoethoxy)-3-butenoic acid hydrochloride], an inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis, provides evidence that reproductive development in response to cold stress and short daylength is also in response to ethylene production. We studied the effect of cold treatment of pineapple on ethylene production and flower induction by applying a short-term cold stress to stem apices. Shoot apices of pineapple treated with ice crystals also produced twice as much ethylene as did those of control plants and significantly more than was produced by “D” leaf basal tissue. Moreover, pineapple plants treated four times with ice crystals or ice water were induced to flower under field conditions and the forcing efficiency, as evaluated by the percentages of inflorescence emergence and fruit harvest, was comparable to forcing with calcium carbide (CaC2) and ethephon. In another field experiment two applications of a 1.0% solution of CaC2 or 0.15% ethephon applied at 48 h intervals was sufficient to force reproductive development of ‘Tainon 17’. Furthermore, 0.5 or 1.0% solutions of CaC2 supplemented with 0.5% activated charcoal (AC) significantly improved the forcing effectiveness of CaC2. This could/would make it possible to reduce the number or concentration, or both, of CaC2 required to effect forcing in pineapple.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- AC:
-
Activated charcoal
- DAT:
-
Days after treatment
- GC:
-
Gas chromatography
- LSD:
-
Least significant difference
References
Bartholomew DP, Malezieux E, Sanewski GM, Sinclair E (2003) Inflorescence, and fruit development and yield. In: Bartholomew DP, Paull R, Rohrbach KG (eds) The pineapple: botany, production and uses. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, pp 167–202
Coppens d’Eeckenbrugge G, Leal F (2003) Morphology, anatomy and taxonomy. In: Bartholomew DP, Paull R, Rohrbach KG (eds) The pineapple: botany, production and uses. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, pp 13–32
da Cunha GAP, Costa JTA, Reinhardt DH (2003) Natural flowering in pineapple: inhibition by growth regulators. Fruits 58:27–37
Devadas VS (2005) Standardisation of leaf sampling for nutrient analysis in pineapple var. Mauritius. IV International Pineapple Symposium. Acta Hortic 666:191–192
Friend DJC (1981) Effect of night temperature on flowering and fruit size in pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.). Bot Gaz 142:188–190
Friend DJC, Lydon J (1979) Effects of daylength on flowering, growth, and CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) of pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill). Bot Gaz 140:280–283
Gowing DP (1961) Experiments on the photoperiodic response in pineapple. Am J Bot 48:16–21
Hepton A (2003) Cultural system. In: Bartholomew DP, Paull R, Rohrbach KG (eds) The pineapple: botany, production and uses. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, pp 109–142
Huang JY, Lin CH (2003) Cold water treatment promotes ethylene production and dwarfing in tomato seedlings. Plant Physiol Biochem 41:283–288
Hyodo H, Tanaka K, Watanab K (1983) Wound-Induced ethylene production and 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase in mesocarp tissue of winter squash fruit. Plant Cell Physiol 24:963–969
Kende H (1993) Ethylene biosynthesis. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 44:283–307
Kuan CS, Yu CW, Lin ML, Hsu HT, Bartholomew DP, Lin CH (2005) Foliar application of aviglycine reduces natural flowering in pineapple. HortScience 40:123–126
Lin CH, Maruthasalam S, Shiu LY, Lien WC, Loganathan M, Yu CW, Hung SH, Ko Y, Chen YY (2009) VI International Pineapple Symposium. Acta Hortic 822:117–124
Py C, Lacoeuilhe JJ, Teisson C (1984) L’ananas: sa culture ses produits. Maisonneuve GP and Larose, Paris
Py C, Lacoeuilhe JJ, Teisson C (1987) The pineapple, cultivation and uses. Maisonneuve GP. Paris, pp 568
Soler A, Teisson C, Dole B, Marie Alphonsine PA (2006) Forcing in pineapple: what is new?. In: Bartholomew DP (ed) Pineapple News (ISHS) 13:27–31. http://www.ishs-horticulture.org/workinggroups/pineapple/PineNews13.pdf
Van de Poel B, De Proft JCMP (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 Hortic 120:58–63
van Overbeek J, Cruzado HJ (1948a) Note on flower formation in the pineapple induced by low night temperatures. Plant Physiol 23:282–285
van Overbeek J, Cruzado HJ (1948b) Flower formation in the pineapple plant by geotropic stimulation. Am J Bot 35:410–412
Wang RH, Hsu YM, Bartholomew DP, Maruthasalam S, Lin CH (2007) Delaying Natural flowering in pineapple through foliar application of aviglycine, an inhibitor of ethylene biosynthesis. Hortscience 42:1188–1191
Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. D.P. Bartholomew, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, USA, for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by the grants (NSC-96-2313-B-005-001 and NSC-95-2313-B-005-044-MY3) from National Science Council (Taiwan, ROC) to CHL.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Maruthasalam, S., Shiu, L.Y., Loganathan, M. et al. Forced flowering of pineapple (Ananas comosus cv. Tainon 17) in response to cold stress, ethephon and calcium carbide with or without activated charcoal. Plant Growth Regul 60, 83–90 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-009-9421-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-009-9421-9