MD-2 (Super Sweet)
The export pineapple of the world fresh trade, from a Hawaiian seedling taken up by Del Monte: low acid, about 17 degrees Brix and a shelf life of about 30 days (KAU). Not an Indian release; it was still under evaluation at KAU's Vazhakulam station, and it yielded less than Kew and Mauritius in a West Bengal trial.
Quick facts
- Type
- Sucker / slip (international cultivar)
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- About 15 months from planting to harvest in one West Bengal trial; KAU says it can be picked by the 12th month
- Expected yield
- 36.45 t/ha without crown in one West Bengal trial; no Indian commercial yield figure found
- Suitable soil
- Well-drained sandy loam or laterite, strongly acidic (pH 5.0–6.0); excellent drainage essential
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to internal browning; susceptible to fruitlet core rot and more sensitive to Phytophthora than Kew (KAU)
- Release
- An international commercial cultivar from the Pineapple Research Institute, Hawaii, taken up by Del Monte; not an Indian release
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
MD-2 is a hybrid pineapple from the breeding programme of the Pineapple Research Institute in Hawaii. KAU's variety page says two similar seedlings, 73-114 and 73-50, were found to have bright-gold, very sweet, low-acid flesh and good cold-storage life. Del Monte took 73-114, called it MD-2, grew it in Costa Rica and launched it in 1996. It began marketing it as Gold Extra Sweet in 1997. KAU says MD-2 now holds 50 to 55% of the world fresh market and 70 to 75% of the European market. It describes a fruit of 1.5 to 2.0 kg, cylindrical with a square shoulder and a small core, about 17 degrees Brix and 0.4 to 0.45% acid. KAU adds that MD-2 is not a patented variety, so IPR rules do not apply, and that planting material can be imported from Costa Rica, Ghana, Cuba and France. It is not an Indian release.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose MD-2 only if a buyer pays extra for shelf life and sweetness, and you can try it on a small block first. KAU describes a cylindrical fruit of 1.5 to 2.0 kg with a square shoulder, a small core, about 17 degrees Brix and acidity of 0.4 to 0.45%. Its shelf life is about 30 days against 21 for normal varieties, and it says the premium price is why MD-2 would suit Kerala's export push. The Indian numbers are weaker. In the Cooch Behar trial of 2014-16, MD-2 gave 36.45 t/ha without crown, against 89.70 for Kew and 57.54 for Mauritius, only 77.23% of plants flowered, and TSS was 14.82 degrees Brix. KAU said evaluation at its Vazhakulam station was still in progress. Try MD-2 where the buyer is named before you plant a hectare.
Sowing & cultivation
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- A shelf life of about 30 days against 21 for normal varieties, and cold storage for up to two weeks (KAU).
- Resistant to internal browning, a defect that can ruin a cut fruit.
- Sweet and low in acid: about 17 degrees Brix and 0.4 to 0.45% acid (KAU).
Things to consider
- Lower yield in the only Indian trial found: 36.45 t/ha, against 89.70 for Kew and 57.54 for Mauritius, with 77.23% of plants flowering.
- More sensitive to Phytophthora than Kew, and susceptible to fruitlet core rot (KAU); drainage and a water table at least 60 cm down are not optional.
- Planting material has to be imported or found in India, and KAU said MD-2 performance evaluation was still in progress at Vazhakulam.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Kerala
- West Bengal
Where the extra shelf life shows up
KAU puts MD-2 at about 30 days of shelf life, against 21 days for normal varieties and 15 to 20 days for the Vazhakulam Mauritius. That is 9 days more than a normal variety and 10 to 15 days more than Mauritius. A fruit that can survive up to two weeks in cold storage suits a long cold-chain journey and still reaches a shop with days to spare. KAU says much of the Vazhakulam Mauritius goes to Mumbai, from where part is exported to the Gulf.
The extra days are only worth money if your buyer is far away or stores fruit. For a market reached in one or two days, they add cost without adding price, and the Cooch Behar trial yield of 36.45 t/ha is well below Mauritius at 57.54. KAU's own guide stores partly ripe fruit for almost 20 days at 10 to 13 degrees C and warns that below 7 degrees C fruit suffers chilling injury. Ask for the buyer's purchase terms in writing before you plant a large block of MD-2.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This crop is raised from suckers taken off the mother plant, so you can multiply it yourself. Pick sturdy suckers of even size from healthy, well-yielding clumps, and never from one that looked diseased or stunted — the new plant inherits whatever the mother had. For a clean start, take planting material from a registered nursery or a government farm.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Pineapple (Ananas) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amritha | Kerala farmers who want a compact plant with a small crown; test a small block first | 13–15 months (KAU description) | No KAU yield figure found; 33.74 t/ha without crown in one West Bengal trial | Kerala, West Bengal |
| Jaldhup | Local markets that know its flavour; a small trial block beside Queen or Kew | Not published for Jaldhup | No variety figure published | Assam |
| Kew (Giant Kew) | Canning, juice and large fresh fruit; Assam, West Bengal, Kerala | About 15–24 months from planting to harvest | 89.70 t/ha without crown in one West Bengal trial; TNAU puts a well-kept orchard at 50 t/ha | Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| Lakhat | Local markets that sell it by name; verify the planting material before you buy | Not published for Lakhat | No variety figure published | Assam |
| Mauritius (Vazhakulam) | Sweet table fruit for distant markets; Kerala, Meghalaya, trial success in West Bengal | Flowers 7–8 months after planting; first harvest in about a year with ethephon (KAU) | 50–60 t/ha a year at 43,300–50,000 plants/ha, falling year by year (KAU) | Kerala, Meghalaya, West Bengal |
| MD-2 (Super Sweet)this page | Premium and export fruit where long shelf life is paid for; plant a trial block first | About 15 months from planting to harvest in one West Bengal trial; KAU says it can be picked by the 12th month | 36.45 t/ha without crown in one West Bengal trial; no Indian commercial yield figure found | Kerala, West Bengal |
| Queen | Sweet, aromatic fresh fruit in small sizes; Assam, West Bengal, Kerala | About 15–16 months from planting to harvest in one West Bengal trial | 54.96 t/ha without crown in one West Bengal trial | Assam, West Bengal, Kerala |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Pineapple (Ananas) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Pineapple (Ananas) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Pineapple (Ananas) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Pineapple (Ananas) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Pineapple (Ananas) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Pineapple (Ananas) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Where does MD-2 come from, and is the name protected?
KAU says MD-2 comes from the breeding programme of the Pineapple Research Institute in Hawaii, which was wound up in 1986 with its assets divided between Del Monte and Maui Land and Pineapple. Del Monte took seedling 73-114, named it MD-2, grew it in Costa Rica and launched it in 1996. KAU states that it is not a patented variety, so IPR rules do not apply, and that planting material can be imported from Costa Rica, Ghana, Cuba and France. Importing plants into India is regulated, so ask your state horticulture department about permits before ordering.
Does MD-2 yield more than Kew or Mauritius in India?
Not in the one Indian trial we found. At Cooch Behar, West Bengal (2014-16), MD-2 gave 36.45 t/ha without crown, Mauritius 57.54 and Kew 89.70. Only 77.23% of MD-2 plants flowered, against 98.34% for Mauritius, and its TSS was 14.82 degrees Brix against 18.10. The same paper notes that MD-2 and Mauritius had almost similar fruit weight in an earlier Kerala study. KAU said MD-2 performance was still being evaluated at Vazhakulam. One trial in one place is not a verdict, but it is the only number available.
What diseases and disorders should I watch for in MD-2?
KAU says MD-2 is resistant to internal browning but susceptible to fruitlet core rot, and more sensitive to Phytophthora than Smooth Cayenne or Kew. Phytophthora heart rot spreads in poorly drained soil, and KAU's Mauritius guide asks for the water table at least 60 cm below the surface, destroying badly affected plants and drenching the rest with 0.2% zineb, mancozeb or ziram. Raised beds or ridges are the usual answer in wet fields. Mealybug wilt is a threat to every pineapple in Kerala, so keep ants and mealybugs down.
What fruit should I expect from MD-2, and when can I pick it?
KAU gives a medium fruit of 1.5 to 2.0 kg, cylindrical with a square shoulder and a small core, about 17 degrees Brix when ripe and acidity of 0.4 to 0.45%. KAU adds that it can be plucked by the 12th month. In the Cooch Behar trial the fruit measured 14.82 degrees Brix, took 340.15 days to reach 50% flowering and then 122.15 days to harvest, about 15 months in all. Treat 17 degrees Brix as what the variety can reach under export-farm management, not what every Indian field will give.
Sourced from: Pineapple varieties (Amritha, MD-2, Mauritius) — Pineapple Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Morphological characterization and performance of pineapple varieties in northern West Bengal — Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 92(5), 2022 (Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya), Production technology for Vazhakulam Pineapple (Mauritius) — Pineapple Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University (Joy, 2010), Research and Development Report 2011-12 — Pineapple Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University (tissue culture of MD-2, Mauritius and Amritha). editorial policy.