An analysis of the pineapple (Ananas comosus L.) varieties in Teppi, South Western Ethiopia

Abstract

During the 2015–2016 main cropping season at Teppi, three pineapple types were imported from Jimma Agricultural Research Center plant tissue culture and assessed. The purpose of the experiment was to determine the optimal high-yielding, pest-and disease-resistant, and tolerant variety or types for the target region, as well as to assess the adaptation of enhanced pineapple cultivars. The evaluated cultivars' mean yields varied from 19.8 tons per hectare for Queen to 70.4 tons per hectare for Smooth Cayenne. Smooth cayenne took an average of 406 days to blossom, while sugar loaf and queen took an average of 455 days. The average plant height ranged from 82.33 cm for Queen to 113.93 cm for Sugar Loaf. For Queen and Sugar loaf, the average leaf length was 58.13 cm and 91.93 cm, respectively. For Queen and Smooth Cayenne, the average fruit length was 10.7 cm and 14.57 cm, respectively. For Queen and Smooth cayenne, the average fruit diameter was 10.05 cm and 11.68 cm, respectively. For Queen, the average fruit weight was 1.01 kg, while for sugar loaf, it was 1.65 kg. The greatest mean yield was found in sugar loaf (69.7 tons/ha) and smooth cayenne (70.4 tons/ha). Because of the positive qualities mentioned above, farmers in the research region favor sugar loaf and smooth cayenne.