CULTIVATION of pineapple is considered as an income-generating venture in the Philippines, particularly for the small farmers, due to the potentials which it offers.
Because of these, an increasing number of farmers have started to focus on pineapple farming, particularly the Queen pineapple.
Records from Philippine Statistics Authority showed that pineapple production during October to December 2018 posted an increment of 1.0 percent, reaching 706.46 thousand metric tons from 699.22 thousand metric tons in the same period of the previous year, where almost two-thirds or 64.2 percent of total pineapple production was from Northern Mindanao.
SOCCSKSARGEN came next with 30.0 percent share to the total pineapple production while Bicol Region contributed 2.1 percent.
The production of Queen pineapple is expected to increase with the development of a propagation protocol and planting system by the Visayas State University (VSU), in cooperation with the Camarines Norte State College and the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office V.
These were the outputs of a program dubbed “Enhancing the productivity and marketability of Queen pineapple” which was funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).
The somatic embryogenesis protocol is an alternative technique for rapid mass propagation of quality Queen pineapple planting materials.
The protocol involves the use of suckers and crowns explants to produce true-to-type planting materials.
With somatic embryogenesis, one explant is expected to produce up to 10,000 plantlets of the Queen pineapple, compared with only 5 to 10 planting materials derived from one plant through the conventional propagation materials such as suckers, crowns, and slips.
This technology is also considered a promising intervention as it can produce ready-to-plant seedlings eight months earlier than the traditional propagation.
Through the propagation protocol, a total of 12,500 potted Queen pineapple seedlings were produced.
Another output of the program is the optimization of planting density and intercropping system for the Queen pineapple variety.
Based on initial results, the combination of fertilizer recommended rate (298-70-315 kg/ha nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) for Queen pineapple and planting density of 300 plants/ha (100cm x 50cm x 30cm planting distance) produced the highest fruit yield of 61 MT/ha in monocropping system in Leyte.
This is represents some 203 percent increase in the national average of Queen pineapple yield at 30 MT/ha.
In Camarines Norte, as much as ₱118,841 per hectare can be earned in Queen pineapple plantation with planting density of 300 plants/ha applied with fertilizer based on soil analysis.
This was a result of a cost and return analysis conducted in the province.
In terms of intercropping system, a 157 percent increase in yield or 47 MT/ha of Queen Pineapple was seen in Leyte, where the plantation was intercropped with coconut.
On the other hand, production of Queen pineapple suckers as planting material and leaf as basis of fiber yield was assessed in an intercropped field.
The results showed that 14 suckers per plant was the highest average obtained in a field intercropped with coconut./PN
