FSELECTION OF PINEAPPLE CULTIVARS AS A FUNCTION OF PRODUCTIVITY, QUALITY AND SENSORY ANALYSIS OF FRUITS
Ananas comosus, physical and chemical characteristics, sensory analysis.
There are more than 100 pineapple cultivars, however, only about eight are commercially cultivated, with the Smooth Cayenne cultivar being the most cultivated worldwide. In Brazil, production is distributed firstly by the Pérola cultivar and later by Smooth Cayenne. However, new cultivars have not been commercially launched. Since the use of these cultivars by producers has been low in the country and they need to be evaluated regarding adaptation and productivity so that they can be indicated to rural producers, the objective of this work was to evaluate the productivity and quality of fruits of cultivars of pineapple. Experiment one was implemented in May 2018. The experimental design used was in randomized blocks, with five replications and 20 plants per plot and spacing of 120x40x40cm. The cultivars evaluated were Pérola, BRS Imperial, Jupi, BRS Vitória, Smooth Cayenne, IAC Fantástico, BRS Ajubá and Gigante de Tarauacá. It could be observed that, despite the improved cultivars BRS Imperial, BRS Vitória and IAC Fantástico being resistant to fusariosis, not having thorns and having good qualitative characteristics, they had very low fruit mass. In turn, the cultivar BRS Ajubá stands out, which despite having good qualitative characteristics, being resistant to fusariosis and not showing thorns, obtained a good mass of fruit, being considered a good option for producers. The cultivars BRS Imperial, BRS Ajubá and IAC Fantástico are the most attractive to the consumer from a sensory point of view, due to their appearance, flavor and ideal sweetness. In addition to being resistant to fusariosis and not having thorns, characteristics that benefit rural producers.