Collaborative research on pineapple
Pineapple is the third most important tropical fruit in the world after banana and mango. It is native to the Orinoco and Amazon basins. South American production, which is considerable, is mostly destined for local or national markets and based on only a few varieties. These varieties are generally hardy but small-scale producers face severe constraints such as insects, nematodes and devastating fungi, in particular fusariosis in Brazil.
CIRAD and IPGRI have jointly coordinated an EU-funded project to recover or breed resistant varieties that will improve small-scale production systems, raise farmer income and provide the regional market with larger quantities of high-quality fruits. Institutions participating in this project are EMBRAPA (CENARGEN and CNPMF) in Brazil and FONAIAP in Venezuela. Most of the genetic diversity of pineapple is found in these two countries. Other partners are CIRAD-FLHOR (France) and the Universidade do Algarve (Portugal).
The first germplasm inventory carried out by the project allowed exchange and repatriation of lost germplasm, increasing some collections and safeguarding rare accessions. This work was complemented with a revision of the existing list of descriptors. Molecular markers were developed for characterization studies and gene mapping. Characterization data provided key information to assess the genetic diversity of pineapple and understand its structure. The standard database that is being established will promote exchange of information and germplasm between partners and curators of other pineapple collections.
The project favors new uses of neglected or traditional varieties to broaden the genetic base of pineapple cultivation. More than 60 new sources of resistance to fusariosis have been identified. The first hybridization results indicate that this resistance is controlled by a single dominant gene, which opens tremendous prospects for breeding resistant cultivars that will benefit small-scale farmers, who currently lose 20 to 80% of their crop to this disease. New breeding schemes involving selfing and using genetic maps will improve breeding efficiency for the transfer of resistance to pests and disease amongst varieties. This work is thus promoting integrated and more environmentally friendly control of pests and diseases.
IPGRI has contributed significantly to the analysis and publication of data from studies on molecular diversity, heredity of qualitative traits, resistance to fusariosis and germplasm enhancement. Three reviews have been published on pineapple breeding and pineapple genetic resources. The taxonomy of pineapple has also been revised in collaboration with the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, USA.
