Pineapple (Ananas)
Ananas comosus
A hardy perennial fruit grown from suckers, not seed, where the crop is made by two decisions — grading the planting material so a whole block flowers and ripens together, and using an ethrel pour into the leaf whorl to force uniform flowering, which lets you programme the harvest into the high-price off-season instead of the natural glut.
Quick Summary
The key points from this page in about two minutes — read it or have it read aloud.
Quick Summary
Pineapple (ananas) is a hardy perennial fruit grown on humid, well-drained, acidic soils — mainly in the north-east (Assam has the largest area, and Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur and Nagaland grow it widely), in West Bengal (the largest producer), and in Kerala around Vazhakulam, with smaller areas in Karnataka, Bihar, Odisha and Goa.
It is not grown from seed. It is planted from suckers (side-shoots from the stem), slips (shoots from below the fruit) or crowns (the leafy top of the fruit). Which one you use, and how evenly it is graded, decides the crop: suckers flower earliest, slips a little later, crowns latest, and a block planted with a mix of sizes ripens over months instead of weeks. Grade the planting material by weight and plant each grade in its own block.
The practice that turns pineapple from a straggling wild crop into a managed one is artificial flower induction. Left alone, pineapple flowers unevenly in response to cool nights and short days, and most of the crop then ripens together in May–July when prices are lowest. Pouring about 25 ppm ethrel (ethephon, with a little urea and calcium carbonate) into the central leaf whorl of mature plants — those with about 39–42 leaves, 7–10 months after planting — forces them all to flower within a week. Fruit follows about five months later, so the grower can plan the harvest into the September–February off-season and get a far better price.
The rest is about the acid soil and drainage pineapple must have, protecting exposed fruit from sunscald, and managing mealybug wilt, Phytophthora heart rot and the fruit-collapse rots. A plant crop fruits once; one or two ratoon crops follow before the field is replanted after about four to five years.
- Crop type
- Perennial herbaceous fruit (grown from suckers/slips/crowns)
- Season
- Plant at monsoon onset or the cool season; harvest programmable by induction
- Suitable states
- Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Kerala
- Time to first fruit
- 18–24 months (plant crop); 12–16 months with flower induction
- Water requirement
- Mostly rainfed at 1,000–1,500 mm; supplementary irrigation in dry belts
- Temperature
- Warm humid, 22–32°C; sensitive to frost and to above ~40°C
- Soil type
- Well-drained sandy loam / laterite, strongly acidic pH 5.0–6.0
- Difficulty level
- Moderate (flower induction timing, drainage, mealybug wilt, sunscald)
- Expected yield
- 40–60 t/ha (Kew); 20–30 t/ha (Queen / Mauritius)
- Key risk
- An uneven, unmanaged block ripening into the low-price May–July glut
Overview
Pineapple, or ananas (Ananas comosus), is a perennial herbaceous fruit of the bromeliad family, grown for its sweet, aromatic multiple fruit eaten fresh and canned and made into juice, jam and squash. It has a shallow root system, stores water in its leaves, and tolerates poor, acidic, sloping land that few other fruit crops will grow on.
In India it is concentrated in the high-rainfall east and north-east — Assam (largest area), West Bengal (largest production), Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram — and in Kerala around Vazhakulam, whose Mauritius pineapple carries a GI tag. Karnataka, Bihar, Odisha and Goa have smaller commercial areas, and it is widely grown as an intercrop in young coconut and arecanut gardens.
Pineapple is planted from suckers, slips or crowns, in a high-density double-row system, and takes 18–24 months to the first (plant-crop) fruit — or 12–16 months if flowering is artificially induced. The two decisions that shape the crop are grading the planting material for a uniform block, and using ethrel flower induction to time the harvest into the high-price off-season.
Crop timeline, sowing to harvest
A quick visual map of the season — jump to any section below for the detail behind each stage.
- Month 0
Planting
Graded suckers or slips planted into raised beds or ridges in a double-row system (about 30 × 60 × 90 cm, ~43,500 plants/ha); best planted at the start of the monsoon or the cool season so the plants establish before dry heat.
- Month 1–7
Vegetative growth
The plant builds its leaf rosette; nitrogen and potash are applied in splits into the leaf axils, weeds are controlled, and any early suckers are left on for the ratoon.
- Month 7–10
Flower induction
When plants reach about 39–42 leaves and the target weight, ethrel (ethephon ~25 ppm with urea and calcium carbonate) is poured about 50 ml into the central whorl in the cooler part of the day; all treated plants flower within a week.
- Month 10–11
Flowering
The red-purple flower head opens over about three weeks; no pollination is needed for the commercial (parthenocarpic) cultivars, and cross-pollination is in fact avoided as it produces hard seeds.
- Month 11–15
Fruit development
The fruit swells over about five months from flowering; exposed fruit is covered with its own dry leaves, straw or paper against sunscald, and potash is topped up for size and sugar.
- Month 15–24
Harvest & ratoon
Fruit is cut when the base turns from green to yellow-orange. After the plant crop, one or two suckers per plant are kept to carry a ratoon crop; the field is replanted after about four to five years.
Suitable states
States where this crop is grown at scale, highlighted below. Your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra is still the final word for your specific block.
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Himachal Pradesh
- Punjab
- Uttarakhand
- Haryana
- Delhi
- Uttar Pradesh
- Rajasthan
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
- West Bengal
- Sikkim
- Assam
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Meghalaya
- Nagaland
- Manipur
- Mizoram
- Tripura
- Gujarat
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Maharashtra
- Odisha
- Goa
- Telangana
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Tamil Nadu
- Puducherry
- Ladakh
- Chandigarh
- Lakshadweep
Grown here
Climate requirements
The natural flowering response to cool short days makes an unmanaged crop ripen together in May–July, the worst-price window. Ethrel induction breaks that link and lets the harvest be timed.
Ideal temperature
A warm, humid tropical crop, best at 22–32°C with warm nights. It has no frost tolerance and suffers above about 40°C, when exposed fruit scalds. Cool nights and short days trigger natural (uneven) flowering, which is why the crop is grown in the humid east and why flowering is managed with chemicals.
Rainfall
Grown mainly rainfed where annual rainfall is 1,000–1,500 mm and well distributed. It is drought-hardy for a fruit crop because it stores water in its leaves, but a long dry spell during fruit development gives small fruit; supplementary irrigation is used in the drier belts of Kerala, Karnataka and Bihar.
Humidity
High humidity suits it, but prolonged leaf wetness and waterlogged conditions in the monsoon favour Phytophthora heart rot and the fruit-collapse rots.
Sunlight
It grows in full sun and also tolerates 25–40% shade, which is why it is a common intercrop in young coconut and arecanut gardens; deep shade, though, reduces fruit sugar and size.
Soil requirements
The acid-soil requirement is unusual and important: a pineapple field should never be limed, and iron-deficiency yellowing on rising pH is corrected by acidifying (elemental sulphur, acidic mulch) or a foliar iron spray, not by "improving" the soil the way other crops want.
Suitable soil
A well-drained sandy loam or lateritic (red) soil rich in organic matter is ideal. Pineapple has a shallow, fragile root system and cannot tolerate a hard pan or waterlogging; it does well on gentle slopes and terraced hillsides where water runs off.
pH range
Strongly acidic — pH 5.0–6.0 is best, and it tolerates down to about pH 4.5. It grows poorly on neutral or alkaline soils, which lock up iron and cause severe leaf yellowing; do not lime a pineapple field.
Drainage
Free drainage is essential and non-negotiable. On flat or heavy land, and through the monsoon, standing water rots the shallow roots and brings on Phytophthora heart rot that kills plants in patches. Grow on raised beds, ridges or slopes with open drains.
Organic matter
Responds well to organic matter and mulch — a leaf-litter or crop-residue mulch between the rows conserves moisture, suppresses weeds, keeps the soil cool for the shallow roots, and slowly acidifies the surface soil, which pineapple likes.
Land preparation
Same four steps whichever region you are in — only the timing shifts with the sowing window.
- 1
Clear, plough and form raised beds
Clear the land, plough or dig to a fine tilth, and form raised beds or ridges 15–30 cm high with drainage channels between them, following the slope so water runs off. On hillsides, plant across the slope on contour terraces.
- 2
Mix in organic matter; do not lime
Work well-rotted FYM or compost into the beds. Do not add lime — pineapple needs an acid soil, and liming causes iron-deficiency yellowing and poor growth.
- 3
Grade the planting material and lay out the block
Sort suckers and slips by weight into two or three grades and plant each grade in its own block, so every block flowers and ripens together. Trim the lower leaves, and cure the cut base in the shade for a few days before planting.
Seed information
How the main varieties compare, so you can pick by duration, yield, disease pressure or what you are growing for.
| Variety | Duration | Yield | Disease resistance | Best state | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
India's leading commercial cultivar, dominant in the north-east and West Bengal. A late, large fruit of 2–3 kg with broad, shallow eyes, pale-yellow, low-fibre, juicy flesh and near-spineless leaves — the standard variety for canning and juice. Also called Chultia or Sarkara. | Plant crop ~18–24 months (12–16 with induction) | 40–60 t/ha | No special resistance; manage Phytophthora and mealybug wilt | Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland | Canning, juice and processing; large-fruit fresh market |
The oldest and one of the most widely grown cultivars, especially in Kerala, Karnataka, coastal Andhra Pradesh (Simhachalam) and Goa. An early, small fruit of 0.9–1.3 kg with deep golden, crisp, very aromatic flesh, deep eyes and spiny leaves — a premium fresh-eating (table) pineapple. | Plant crop ~15–18 months | 20–30 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa | Fresh table market, premium and aromatic-fruit sales |
The dominant cultivar of Kerala, grown on about 95% of the Vazhakulam belt and carrying a GI tag as "Vazhakulam Pineapple". A medium fruit of about 1–1.6 kg, in red-skinned and yellow-skinned forms, medium sweet, suited to both the table and processing. | Plant crop ~15–18 months | 25–35 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Kerala (Ernakulam, Kottayam), parts of Karnataka | Kerala fresh and processing market, off-season programming |
An Assam local of the Queen group, named after Jalah where it is most grown. A small, very aromatic fruit, hardy and well adapted to Assam's conditions, grown widely by smallholders for the fresh market. | Plant crop ~15–18 months | 18–28 t/ha | Locally adapted; no formal resistance data | Assam (Kamrup, Nalbari, Barpeta) | Assam smallholder fresh market, aromatic small fruit |
Another Assam local of the Queen group, named after its area of maximum production. A small fruit, smaller than standard Queen, hardy and popular in local markets across Assam. | Plant crop ~15–18 months | 18–26 t/ha | Locally adapted; no formal resistance data | Assam | Local fresh market, hardy smallholder crop |
An improved hybrid (Mauritius × Kew) from the Pineapple Research Station, Vazhakkulam (Kerala Agricultural University), larger and more uniform than Mauritius with good eating and keeping quality, released for Kerala growers wanting more size without losing table quality. | Plant crop ~16–20 months | 30–45 t/ha | No special resistance claimed | Kerala | Kerala fresh and processing market, a bigger Mauritius-type fruit |
The cultivar that dominates the world fresh-pineapple export trade — very sweet, low in acid, high in vitamin C, uniform, with a long shelf life and a bright golden shell. Not an Indian release; it is an international selection now being taken up commercially in Kerala, the north-east and Andhra Pradesh for the premium and export market. | Plant crop ~14–18 months | 55–75 t/ha under intensive management | Susceptible to Phytophthora; needs very good drainage and mealybug control | Kerala, north-east India, Andhra Pradesh (emerging) | Premium fresh and export market; capital- and input-intensive |
- Seed rate
- About 43,000–63,000 suckers or slips per hectare (roughly 17,000–25,000 per acre) in the high-density double-row system, depending on cultivar and spacing. A hectare of planting material comes from about 0.3–0.5 hectare of an established crop's suckers and slips.
- Certified seed
- Use suckers (400–500 g) or slips (300–350 g) from healthy, mealybug-free, disease-free mother plants, all graded to one size per block. Suckers flower earliest, slips a little later and crowns latest, so do not mix material types or sizes in a block. Dip the base in an insecticide against mealybug and a fungicide against base rot, and cure it in the shade for 3–7 days before planting.
- Spacing
- High-density double rows: about 30 cm between plants in the row, 60 cm between the two rows of a pair, and 90 cm between pairs (paths), giving roughly 43,500 plants/ha. Closer spacing raises plant number and gives smaller, more uniform fruit suited to canning.
- Seed treatment
- Trim the lower leaves, dip the basal portion in a recommended insecticide (mealybug) plus a fungicide (base rot / Phytophthora), and cure the cut base in shade for 3–7 days so it suberises before planting into moist soil.
Sowing guide
Never plant so deep that soil or water sits in the central leaf whorl — that is a direct route to Phytophthora heart rot, which rots the growing point and kills the plant.
- Best time
- Plant at the onset of the monsoon (June–August) in the north-east and West Bengal, or in the cool post-monsoon months (September–November) in the south and drier belts, so the plants establish before the next dry, hot period. Under irrigation, planting is more flexible.
- Row spacing
- 60 cm between the two rows of a pair; 90 cm between pairs
- Plant spacing
- 25–30 cm between plants in the row
- Sowing depth
- Base set 8–10 cm deep, not so deep that the central whorl fills with soil (which causes heart rot)
- Method
- Plant graded suckers or slips upright into the raised bed, firm the soil around the base, and keep the growing point (central whorl) clear of soil. Mulch the beds after planting.
Fertilizer schedule
A split dose beats one large dose applied at sowing — nitrogen especially is lost to the air and to leaching if it all goes in on day one.
- 1
Basal (at planting)
Month 0
Well-rotted FYM in the bed plus part of the phosphorus. Pineapple needs relatively little phosphorus; nitrogen and potash are the main nutrients and are applied later in splits.
- 2
Vegetative splits
Month 2, 4, 6 (up to induction)
Nitrogen and potash (roughly 8–12 g N and 8–12 g K₂O per plant per year, in 4–6 splits) placed into the leaf axils near the base, where pineapple absorbs nutrients efficiently. Potash drives fruit size, sugar and acidity balance.
- 3
Post-induction / fruit development
Month 10–13
A final potash-heavy split after flowering to build fruit weight and sugar. Foliar sprays of urea, and of iron or zinc if leaves yellow on rising pH, are given as needed. Do not apply nitrogen close to harvest — it lowers fruit sugar and keeping quality.
Irrigation schedule
1. Establishment
Month 0–3
In the rainfed east the monsoon covers this; in the drier belts, irrigate every 10–15 days so the young plants root and start growing.
2. Vegetative growth to induction
Month 3–10
Irrigate during dry spells (every 15–20 days) to keep the plants building leaves towards the 39–42-leaf target; drought stress here delays the crop.
3. Fruit development
Month 11–15
The most water-responsive period — a dry spell now gives small fruit. Irrigate every 10–15 days in dry weather, then ease off in the last two to three weeks before harvest to concentrate the sugar.
Critical stages
- Establishment of suckers/slips
- Fruit development after flowering
Water-saving tips
- A thick leaf-litter or crop-residue mulch on the beds is the main water-saving tool — it keeps the shallow roots cool and moist and cuts irrigation need sharply.
- Pineapple stores water in its leaves and tolerates a dry spell better than most fruit crops, so limited irrigation is best concentrated on fruit development.
- Where drip is used, run it under the mulch along the plant rows; the crop's shallow roots respond well to frequent small doses.
Weed management
Common weeds
Organic control
- A thick mulch of leaf litter, grass or crop residue on the beds smothers most weeds, and is the standard practice in the north-east and Kerala.
- Two or three hand-weedings and path-slashings in the first year, before the canopy closes, carry the crop; after that the dense pineapple foliage suppresses weeds itself.
- Growing pineapple as an intercrop under young coconut or arecanut keeps the ground covered and reduces the weed burden on both crops.
Chemical control
- A pre-emergence herbicide cleared for pineapple applied to clean, moist beds after planting holds weeds through the slow establishment phase; confirm the product and dose with your local KVK or the state horticulture department.
- Directed spot sprays in the paths keep the inter-row clear until the pineapple canopy closes over; avoid getting herbicide into the central whorls.
Nutrient deficiency identification
What a shortage of each nutrient actually looks like on the plant, so you can tell a deficiency apart from a disease before you spray the wrong thing.
Potassium
Visible symptom
Yellow-orange scorching along the older leaf margins and tips, and small, pale, low-sugar, over-acid fruit — pineapple is very potash-hungry and this is the commonest limiting deficiency.
Nitrogen
Visible symptom
Pale, narrow, reddish or yellowish leaves and a slow-growing plant that takes far longer to reach the leaf count needed for flower induction.
Iron
Visible symptom
Bright yellowing between the veins of the youngest leaves, turning almost white in bad cases — caused by the soil pH rising towards neutral, not by a true shortage; correct by acidifying the soil or a foliar iron spray, never by liming.
Zinc
Visible symptom
"Crookneck" — the plant bends over at the base with mottled, narrow, downcurved young leaves; corrected with a foliar zinc sulphate spray.
Diseases to watch for
Symptoms, likely cause and what actually treats it — not just a spray name.
Phytophthora heart rot and root rot
- Symptoms
- The central leaves turn pale, then yellow-brown, and pull out easily with a soft, foul-smelling rot at the base; on roots, a black wet rot and collapse of the plant. Shows up in patches in wet, poorly drained ground and in the monsoon.
- Cause
- The water-mould Phytophthora (P. nicotianae / P. cinnamomi), which thrives in waterlogged soil and enters the base and the central whorl, especially where soil or water has collected in the whorl.
- Treatment
- Remove and destroy affected plants and improve the drainage at once; drench the surrounding plants and the base with a recommended phosphonate or metalaxyl fungicide.
- Prevention
- Plant on raised beds or slopes with free drainage, do not plant so deep that soil enters the whorl, dip planting material in a fungicide, and avoid low, flat, heavy patches of the field.
Fruit collapse / base rot (bacterial and fungal)
- Symptoms
- The ripening fruit softens, darkens and collapses, often with gas and a fermented smell and oozing at the base; internally the flesh is water-soaked and brown. Worst in warm, wet weather close to harvest and where fruit flies or borers have stung the fruit.
- Cause
- A complex of Erwinia (Dickeya) bacteria and Thielaviopsis / Ceratocystis and Fusarium fungi that enter through insect stings, cracks and the picking wound.
- Treatment
- No cure for an affected fruit; cull it immediately so the rot does not spread through the crate. A pre-harvest fungicide spray helps where the disease has a history.
- Prevention
- Control fruit fly and fruit borers, cover exposed fruit against cracking and sunscald, harvest at the right stage in dry weather, leave a clean stalk cut, and keep the harvested fruit cool and dry.
Mealybug wilt
- Symptoms
- Leaves redden, then lose rigidity and wilt inward from the tips, the leaf edges roll down, the root system dies back, and the plant collapses over weeks; ants and pink mealybugs are present at the base and roots.
- Cause
- A disease complex associated with pineapple mealybug wilt-associated virus, transmitted and triggered by the feeding of the pink pineapple mealybug (Dysmicoccus brevipes), which ants move around and protect.
- Treatment
- Remove and destroy badly wilted plants. Break the ant–mealybug partnership: bait or band against the ants and treat the mealybug colonies at the base and roots with a recommended insecticide.
- Prevention
- Plant only mealybug-free material dipped in insecticide, control ants in and around the field, rogue out early wilting plants, and keep the field free of alternate weed hosts.
Fruitlet core rot / black spot
- Symptoms
- Individual fruitlets ("eyes") turn brown-black internally while the outside still looks sound; cut fruit shows firm dark corky spots scattered through the flesh, downgrading it for the fresh and canning trade.
- Cause
- Fungi (Penicillium, Fusarium, Talaromyces) entering the flower parts, favoured by cool, wet weather during flowering and by mite feeding on the developing fruit.
- Treatment
- No treatment once the fruit is affected; the loss is graded out at packing.
- Prevention
- Avoid inducing flowering into a cool wet spell, control the tarsonemid mite on the fruit, and keep the crop vigorous with adequate potash.
Pests to watch for
What to look for before the damage is visible, and organic options before you reach for a chemical.
Pink pineapple mealybug
- Identification
- Soft, pink, wax-coated insects clustered at the leaf bases, the stem and the roots, usually with ants running among them and sooty mould on the honeydew; associated with the reddening and inward wilting of mealybug wilt.
- Damage
- The main pest of pineapple — direct feeding weakens the plant, and the mealybug transmits and triggers mealybug wilt, which can kill plants across a block. Ants spread the mealybugs and shield them from natural enemies.
- Organic control
- Plant only clean, insecticide-dipped material; control ants with baits or sticky bands so natural enemies can work; release or conserve predators (ladybirds, lacewings, the mealybug destroyer beetle); and rogue out early wilting plants with their mealybugs.
- Chemical control
- A recommended systemic insecticide directed at the leaf bases and root zone where colonies are established, combined with ant control — treating the mealybug without stopping the ants rarely works.
Scale insects
- Identification
- Small, flat, grey to brown scales encrusting the underside of the leaves, sometimes so densely that the leaf looks dusted; the leaf yellows and dries beneath heavy scale, and the fruit can be scarred.
- Damage
- Sap loss weakens the plant and reduces fruit size; scale on the fruit surface downgrades it for the fresh market.
- Organic control
- Conserve the parasitic wasps and predatory beetles that control scale, spray horticultural oil or neem on hotspots, and remove and destroy the most heavily encrusted lower leaves.
- Chemical control
- A recommended insecticide with an oil adjuvant where scale is heavy and spreading, observing the pre-harvest interval on the fruiting crop.
Fruit fly and fruit borers
- Identification
- Flies around ripening fruit; sting marks, oozing spots and small holes on the fruit, with maggots or caterpillars and rot inside when cut.
- Damage
- Stung and bored fruit rots and is unsellable, and the wounds are the main entry point for the fruit-collapse and base-rot organisms.
- Organic control
- Cover developing fruit with its own leaves, straw or paper bags; run cue-lure/methyl-eugenol traps; pick and destroy every stung and fallen fruit; and harvest promptly at the right stage rather than leaving ripe fruit in the field.
- Chemical control
- A protein-bait spray for fruit fly, and a recommended insecticide for the borers timed to fruit set, observing the pre-harvest interval.
White grubs
- Identification
- Fat, white, C-shaped beetle grubs in the soil around the base, feeding on the roots; affected plants are stunted, yellow and easily pulled up, in patches that often follow the previous land use.
- Damage
- Root feeding stunts and can kill young plants, and opens the way for Phytophthora root rot; worst on newly broken grassland and on light soils.
- Organic control
- Deep-plough and expose grubs to birds and sun before planting, collect the adult beetles on light traps at the start of the monsoon, and apply neem cake to the beds.
- Chemical control
- A recommended soil insecticide worked into the beds at planting where white grub has a history on the land.
Common mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that cost growers the most, ranked by how often they show up in the field — not in the order you might expect.
- 1
Planting a block with mixed sucker, slip and crown sizes.
Why it hurts
Suckers flower earliest, slips later and crowns latest, and different sizes reach maturity at different times — so the block ripens over months instead of weeks, making induction, spraying and harvest all inefficient. Grade the material and plant one grade per block.
- 2
Not using flower induction and letting the crop flower naturally.
Why it hurts
Natural flowering is uneven and lands most of the harvest in the May–July glut when prices are lowest. An ethrel pour into the whorl of mature plants forces uniform flowering and lets you programme the fruit into the September–February off-season for a far better price.
- 3
Liming the field or planting on a neutral/alkaline soil.
Why it hurts
Pineapple needs a strongly acid soil (pH 5–6). On rising pH the plant cannot take up iron and the youngest leaves turn yellow to white, growth stalls, and yield collapses. Never lime a pineapple field; acidify if the pH is too high.
- 4
Planting on flat, heavy or low ground, or planting too deep.
Why it hurts
Pineapple has a shallow, fragile root system and no tolerance of waterlogging; water sitting around the base or in the central whorl brings Phytophthora heart and root rot that kills plants in patches. Grow on raised beds or slopes and keep the whorl clear of soil.
- 5
Ignoring the ant–mealybug partnership.
Why it hurts
Ants move the pink mealybug around the field and protect it from its natural enemies, and the mealybug drives mealybug wilt. Treating the mealybug without controlling the ants rarely works — bait or band against the ants as well.
- 6
Leaving exposed fruit uncovered in a hot, open field.
Why it hurts
The sun scalds the upper side of the fruit, which turns pale, sinks and rots and is downgraded. Cover developing fruit with its own dry leaves, straw or paper where the canopy does not shade it.
Harvesting
Cut the fruit when the base has turned from green to yellow-orange (a quarter to half coloured for a distant market, more for local sale), the eyes have flattened and filled, and the fruit gives a dull thud when flicked. Harvest in dry weather with a sharp knife, leaving a clean 2–3 cm stalk. The plant crop fruit matures about five months after flowering.
Signs it is ready
- Fruit base coloured from green to yellow-orange
- Eyes flattened, broad and well filled
- A dull, solid thud when the fruit is flicked (a hollow ring means over-ripe)
- Fruity aroma at the base; crown leaves easy to twist out
Tools
- A sharp knife or secateurs for a clean stalk cut
- Padded field crates — pineapple bruises and the bruise rots fast
- Gloves and arm cover against the spiny-leaved cultivars
- Shade at the field edge for holding cut fruit
Expected yield
About 40–60 t/ha for Kew and 20–35 t/ha for Queen and Mauritius in the plant crop, with the first ratoon crop giving 60–80% of that. Over a four-to-five-year cycle of plant plus one or two ratoons, this is a large total return per planting.
Post-harvest & storage
Storage
Pineapple is moderately perishable. It keeps about 3–5 days at room temperature and 2–4 weeks at 8–13°C with high humidity (below about 7°C causes chilling injury — the flesh browns and the crown blackens). It does not ripen further after picking in sugar, only in colour, so it must be cut mature.
Packaging
Pack in single layers, crown up or on the side, in ventilated fibreboard or padded crates; the fruit bruises and the spiny crown damages neighbouring fruit, so pack firmly but not tight.
Transportation
Move in the cool of the day, ventilated and protected from sun. Long-distance and export fruit is cut less coloured, cooled quickly and shipped at 8–10°C.
Shelf life
3–5 days at room temperature; 2–4 weeks at 8–13°C and 85–90% humidity. MD-2 keeps notably longer than Kew or Queen, which is part of why it dominates the export trade.
Market prices
Today's mandi price near you, pulled live from the government's own Agmarknet data.
Live daily mandi prices from the government Agmarknet dataset.
Synced from data.gov.in (Agmarknet). Rates are ₹ per quintal.
Weather
Current conditions and a 5-day outlook for your selected location, with one line of stage-aware advice.
Pick your state for current conditions and a 5-day outlook.
Live data from Open-Meteo
Profit calculator
Your own cost sheet, expected yield and selling price — not ours.
Where the money goes
Share of the total cost per acre, using the calculator’s own default cost sheet below — adjust the numbers there to match your field and this picture will no longer apply to you exactly, but the ranking rarely changes.
- Labour26% (₹22,000)
- Seed24% (₹20,000)
- Fertiliser14% (₹12,000)
- Land rent14% (₹12,000)
- Pesticide & weedicide7% (₹6,000)
- Irrigation6% (₹5,000)
- Interest5% (₹4,000)
- Machinery4% (₹3,000)
Official downloads
Government and ICAR documents only — everything below is hosted on an official server.
ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru
Pineapple package of practices, flower induction and nutrition
Pineapple Research Station, Vazhakkulam (Kerala Agricultural University)
Mauritius / Vazhakulam pineapple, Amritha, and Kerala production technology
ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam
Pineapple cultivation and off-season production for the north-east
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Frequently asked questions
How do I get my whole pineapple field to flower and ripen together?
By artificial flower induction. When the plants are mature — about 39–42 leaves, 7–10 months after planting — pour roughly 50 ml of about 25 ppm ethrel (ethephon, with a little urea and calcium carbonate; confirm the mix with your KVK) into the central leaf whorl of each plant in the cooler part of the day. Nearly all treated plants flower within a week, and the fruit follows about five months later, so you can plan the harvest — including into the high-price off-season.
Should I plant suckers, slips or crowns?
Suckers (side-shoots from the stem, 400–500 g) are the best choice for a quick, uniform crop — they flower earliest. Slips (from below the fruit, 300–350 g) flower a little later. Crowns (the leafy top of the fruit) are the slowest and are usually used only when other material is short. Whichever you use, grade it to one size and plant that grade in its own block so the crop matures together.
My young pineapple leaves are turning yellow, almost white. What is wrong?
That is almost always iron deficiency caused by the soil pH being too high — pineapple needs a strongly acid soil (pH 5–6). It is not a true shortage of iron in the soil. Correct it by acidifying the soil (elemental sulphur, an acidic mulch) and, for a quick fix, a foliar spray of ferrous sulphate. Never lime a pineapple field.
Why do plants collapse in patches during the monsoon?
Almost always Phytophthora heart rot or root rot, from waterlogging. Pineapple has a shallow, fragile root system and no tolerance of standing water. Grow on raised beds, ridges or slopes with open drains, never plant so deep that soil or water sits in the central whorl, and dip planting material in a fungicide before planting.
How long does a pineapple planting last?
The plant crop fruits once, 18–24 months after planting (or 12–16 months with flower induction). One or two ratoon crops then follow from the suckers left on each plant, at roughly yearly intervals, before yields and fruit quality fall enough that the field is cleared and replanted — usually after about four to five years.
Does pineapple have an MSP or a mandi price?
There is no MSP for pineapple. It is traded on Agmarknet as "Pineapple", with daily records from markets in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Kerala and the major cities. Price is highest for off-season fruit (roughly September–February) and lowest in the natural May–July flush, which is the whole reason growers use flower induction to shift the harvest.
Still have questions?
The FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything specific to your field and soil, your nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra is the authoritative answer.