Pineapple genetic improvement in Brazil started with taxonomic studies on the genus Ananas and the description of species and cultivars present in the country. Thereafter, works related to germplasm characterization, cultivar evaluation, generation and evaluation of hybrids were carried out by the Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária do Estado do Rio de Janeiro and by the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas from 1978 to 1997. The most complete program of pineapple genetic improvement in Brazil has been the one carried out by Embrapa Cassava & Tropical Fruits since 1978.