We have developed an efficient and costeffective
method for commercial micropropagation of
Smooth Cayenne pineapple.
In vitro shoots were used as
starting materials, and either longitudinal sections of the
shoots or leaf bases were used as the explants to
regenerate shoots.
When these explants were used, the
axillary meristems, which usually remain quiescent
during shoot multiplication, were able to form new
shoots.
Subsequent to the regeneration step, additional
multiplication was achieved inside a 10-l Nalgene vessel
with shoots immersed in liquid medium for 5–10 min/h
(periodic immersion bioreactor, PIB).
The shoots were
then induced to form roots and transferred to soil.
Using the above micropropagation method and the PIB, we
produced 6,000–8,000 shoots from two initial shoots in
less than 6 months.
The clonal fidelity of propagated
plants was tested in Costa Rican and Indonesian pineapple
farms.