Tropical Horticulture
Questions – Week 5
What family does the pineapple belong to?
a) Ananas
b) Comosus
c) Bromeliaceae
d) Fagaceae
Pineapple plants prefer ______.
a) alkaline soil
b) acidic soil
c) basic soil
d) soil with poor drainage
Pineapples (grow best in / are adapted to) which type of soil?
a) basic (over 7)
b) neutral (7)
c) acidic (under 7)
d) saline
e) both A and B
Pineapples prefer high levels of ______to produce the best yields.
a) peat and nitrogen
b) sand and phosphorus
c) organic matter and potassium
d) none of the above
What nutrient requirements are needed for pineapples?
a) high P and Ca
b) high N, K, and Fe
c) high P, K, and Fe
d) none of the above
Pineapple plants are ______plants.
a) C-3
b) C-4
c) CAM
d) none of the above
Pineapples can be propagated by ______.
a) crowns of fruit
b) slips
c) suckers
d) all of the above
Which type of propagation will most likely cause uneven fruiting in pineapples?
a) crowns
b) slips
c) suckers
d) roots
Why are crowns and slips better to plant than suckers?
______are the most desirable means of propagating pineapple.
a) suckers
b) crowns
c) slips
d) fruit
Pineapple ______.
a) slips cannot be stored and then used for propagation
b) suckers produce an even harvest
c) crowns are the preferred propagation method
d) crowns require no treatment prior to planting
Which propagation material is on top of the pineapple fruit?
a) crown
b) sucker
c) hapa
d) slip
e) topper
Fruit size ______with each ratoon crop of pineapples.
a) decreases
b) increases
c) stays the same
d) multiplies
Why do some farmers plant more pineapples per acre when farming for fresh market pineapples?
True/False: Date seeds can be soaked in water and fed to livestock.
The original stump from the first harvest of Ananas comosus is referred to as ______.
a) first ratoon stump
b) second ratoon stump
c) parent stump
d) mother stump
e) none of the above
Why are crowns preferred for Ananas comosus crop propagation, particularly in A. comosus production, for processing? Give 4 reasons.
What type of fruit does the pineapple plant produce?
a) aggregate
b) multiple
c) simple
d) none of the above
Pineapple is a ______.
a) multiple fruit
b) aggregate fruit
c) drupe
d) pepo
The pineapple is what type of fruit?
a) berry
b) drupe
c) pome
d) multiple
Pineapple bear ______flower(s) at a time, and the fruit they produce is ______.
a) 1-3, multiple
b) 1-3, aggregate
c) 100-200, multiple
d) 100-200, aggregate
How are pineapples pollinated?
a) butterflies
b) thrips
c) hummingbirds
d) bats
e) beetles
f) bees
What organism or event pollinates the pineapple plant?
a) beetles
b) hummingbirds
c) rain
d) they are self-pollinated
True/False: In the wild, pineapples are normally pollinated by hummingbirds.
When (during the year) are pineapples planted?
The pineapple originated in ______.
a) South America
b) Madagascar
c) New Guinea
d) India
True/False: The pineapple spread through the tropical Americas and Carribean before Columbus arrived in 1493.
Who first introduced pineapples into Europe?
a) Jose DaVaca
b) Leonardo DeVinci
c) Christopher Columbus
d) Ponce de Leon
In the time of the Spanish and Portuguese exploration pineapples were carried on ships to protect against ______.
a) lime disease
b) measles
c) shingles
d) scurvy
What type of ovary does the pineapple have?
The ovary of a pineapple is ______.
a) superior
b) inferior
c) Perigynous
d) Monoecious
What family does Ananas comosus belong to? (Hint: sharp, shiny, elongated bracts/leaves)
Is the pineapple an annual or a perennial?
The pineapple is a ______.
a) herbaceous perennial
b) herbaceous annual
c) succulent
d) none of the above
How many pineapple harvests do you get from a 46 month growing cycle?
Do pineapple fruit get smaller or larger with each harvest?
Pineapple flowers ______.
a) are pollinated by midges
b) are pollinated by hummingbirds
c) can produce seed if cross-pollinated
d) cannot produce seed if cross-pollinated
e) both B and C
f) both A and D
Order the tropical fruits, from MOST production to LEAST production.
a) banana, mango, plantain, pineapple, papaya
b) banana, plantain, mango, pineapple, papaya
c) plantain, banana, mango, pineapple, papaya
d) plantain, pineapple, banana, mango, papaya
Pineapple was first domesticated in ______.
a) Asia
b) Central America
c) South America
d) Hawaii
e) Africa
Pineapple production (in Mt) occursis greatest in which area?
a) Paraguay
b) Hawaii
c) Asia
d) South America
True/False: more pineapple is produced in Asia than in the Americas.
Which comes from the core of the pineapple?
a) spears
b) chunks
c) juices
d) both A and B
Optimum pineapple growth and production occurs within which temperature range?
a) 50° – 60°
b) 60° – 70°
c) 70° – 85°
d) 85° – 95°
Pineapple is adapted to ______.
a) 40° F
b) 50° F
c) 65° – 79° F
d) above 85° F
Pineapple grows best ______.
a) between 55° and 95° F
b) with warm nights and sunny days
c) in slightly alkaline soil
d) with high roganic matter and nitrogen
Pineapples rank ____ (numerical place) in tropical fruit production (excluding citrus).
What planting material takes the longest to produce pinapples to harvest?
Where was the pineapple domesticated?
The pineapple was most likely domesticated by the ______people of the ______river drainage area.
a) Tupi-Tupi, Paraná-maná
b) Paraná-Paraguay, Tupi-Guarani
c) Tupi-Guarani, Paraná-Paraguay
d) Tupi-Paraguay, Paraná-Paraguay
True/False: Pineapple was domesticated by the Tupi-Guarani people in the Paraná-Paraguay river drainage area.
Optimum growth conditions for pineapples include what three (3) conditions?
______nights
______days
day temperatures between ___° and ___° F
True/False: Pineapple plants are drought tolerant.
What is the preferred type of propagule used in Hawaii’s pineapple production?
a) slips
b) hapas
c) suckers
d) crowns
True/False: Pineapple crowns and slips can be stored up to one (1) year upside-down in the sun.
At what temperature are ripe pineapples stored?
a) below 45° F
b) 45° F
c) 50-55° F
d) 60° F
What compound is most commonly used to force flowering? Why is flowering forced in commercial production?
Which variety is best adapted to fresh shipping?
a) Cayenne
b) Super Cayenne
c) Red Spanish
d) Sugar Loaf
Name the three (3) main forms of pineapple propagation.
True/False: Pineapple fruit size is related to the size of the plant at the time of flower induction.
Pineapple ______.
a) has a single flower on one inflorescence
b) commercial clones are self-incompatible
c) was domesticated in Hawaii
d) production is greatest in the Americas
Which of the following correctly describes the pineapple fruit?
a) many flowers on one inflorescence
b) berry-like fruitlets
c) bases of sepals and bracts
d) all of the above
TROPICAL HORTICULTURE – QUESTIONS WEEK 4 – PAGE 7