Author(s)

Haiyan Shu, Wei Sun, Keming Li, Guiying Xu, Rulin Zhan^*, Shenghe Chang^*

Haikou Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China.

Pineapple industry has played important roles in China’s economics in tropical- and subtropical-areas. Pineapple industry in China has been damaged by water-heart fruit. The objective of this research is to clarify the mechanism underlying water-heart fruit of pineapple and find ways for preventing water-heart fruit. We found that water logging can cause water-heart pineapple. The longer the pineapple plants were water logged, the more fruits were found water heart. With the development of fruits, the fruits’ sensitivity to water logging increased. Spraying potassium sulfate onto the fruits after the plants are water logged can decrease the rate of pineapple water-heart. But this effect became less with the fruit development. When sucrose and its precursors in intracellular space were transferred into sink cells, hydrogen ions were required. Because of lacking hydrogen ions, sucrose and its precursors were stopped in intracellular space and seized water from cells. Water-heart fruit formed. If potassium can be gotten in intracellular space, the roles of hydrogen ions might be replaced with potassium ions. With the help of potassium ions, sucrose and its precursors were transported into sink cells and the water-heart symptoms alleviated.

Water-Heart Fruit, Pineapple, Water Logging, Potassium, Hydrogen Ions

Shu, H. , Sun, W. , Li, K. , Xu, G. , Zhan, R. and Chang, S. (2019) The Cause for Water-Heart Fruit of Pineapple and Protective Measurements. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 10, 885-892. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2019.106063.