SUPER SWEET MD2 PINEAPPLE IN MALAYSIA (Part 1)

PINEAAPPLE (Ananas comosus) is an important tropical fruit. It is the only important fruit crop in the family Bromeliaceae. Its importance is reflected in the ranking of commercial tropical fruits for production on a worldwide basis by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in which pineapple comes second after bananas. However, from once a major producer in the world in the 1970s, Malaysia has fallen to the 15th position based on 2014 data, according to the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board (MPIB). Still, pineapple remains a major fruit crop in Malaysia, amongst other major fruit crops such as papaya, pomelo, banana, water melon, jackfruit, and mango (Department of Agriculture, 2013). MPIB is the major force for planning and boosting pineapple industrial planting and its downstream industry. “It is the resemblance to a pine cone which gives the fruit its Spanish name pina and the English name pineapple” (Purseglove, 1972). Pineapple is also recognized as one of the fifty plants that changed world history. It was ‘discovered’ in America as a cultivated plant by Christopher Columbus in 1492, who took specimens back to Europe. Subsequently the fruit was introduced to rest of the world by the Spanish and Portuguese via sea routes. It is now widely grown in the tropics and subtropics. One of its original native names in Brazil was nana, from which the scientific name Ananas and Malay name nanas have been derived. The date of introduction of the pineapple to Malaysia is unknown. From to I.H. Burkill we learn that tinned pineapples from Singapore were exhibited in London at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886 by J.F. Nicholson.

This led to the expansion of plantations in Malaya and the establishment of canneries in Penang, Johore and Selangor. Burkill listed nine cultivars grown in Malaya: they were Singapore, Mauritius, Red Spanish, Queen, Red Ripley, Black Jamaica, Pernambuco and Smooth Cayenne. Currently there are nine major pineapple varieties planted in Malaysia, namely Moris, N36, Sarawak, Moris Gajah, Gandul, Yankee, Josapine, Masapine and most recently MD2. Some of these cultivars such as N36 and Josapine were locally developed for the local fresh fruit market and have not been grown outside Malaysia. In 2012, the areas planted with pineapples in Malaysia totaled 15,649 ha, with total production estimated at 335,000 MT (metric tons). MPIB has projected that the supply of Malaysian the implementation agency by the Malaysian government. MD2 was developed to fulfill market demand for fresh pineapples with exceptional sweetness as well as uniformity and consistency in size and ripeness. Its development can be traced back to 1961 when the Pineapple Research Institute (PRI) in Hawaii was funded by a consortium of companies formed by Dole, Del Monte and Maui Pineapple Company to select and breed a new variety with such qualities. When PRI was dissolved in 1975, all developed hybrid seedlings were subsequently evaluated at Maui Pineapple Company. An exceptional hybrid selection “73- 114” was singled out from the project and it was later renamed MD2, in honour of Millie Dillard, the wife of the then General Manager of the pineapple company. MD2 was taken to Costa Rica for the first trial industrial planting in the 1980s. MD2 is known by its trade names as “Golden Ripe”, “Super Sweet”, "Rompine" or “Gold”. MD2 PINEAPPLE MD2 pineapple covered to prrevent sun scorching for their skin is thinner than other varieties pineapple will increase from 350,000 MT in 2013 to 700,000 MT in 2020. The expected plantation area to support this production volume is expected to be around 23,000 ha. Of the nine cultivars, MPIB has chosen to promote the MD2 variety for industrial planting.

MD2 has been identified as a key crop under the National Key Economic Area (NKEA) of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). With regard to agriculture, NKEA’s key objectives are to penetrate global markets and to ensure national food security. 16 Entry Point Projects (EPPs) and 11 business opportunities have been planned and carried out to achieve these objectives. The MD2 cultivar has been identified as EPP7’s catalyst for the premium fruit market. The MD2 cultivar is also positioned as the key crop under the Dasar Agromakanan Negara (DAN) 2011–2020 policy with the same objectives as EPP 7. With an allocation of RM45 million budget, MPIB is tasked as the implementation agency by the Malaysian government. MD2 was developed to fulfill market demand for fresh pineapples with exceptional sweetness as well as uniformity and consistency in size and ripeness. Its development can be traced back to 1961 when the Pineapple Research Institute (PRI) in Hawaii was funded by a consortium of companies formed by Dole, Del Monte and Maui Pineapple Company to select and breed a new variety with such qualities. When PRI was dissolved in 1975, all developed hybrid seedlings were subsequently evaluated at Maui Pineapple Company. An exceptional hybrid selection “73- 114” was singled out from the project and it was later renamed MD2, in honour of Millie Dillard, the wife of the then General Manager of the pineapple company. MD2 was taken to Costa Rica for the first trial industrial planting in the 1980s. To be continue in Part 2. Thanks.

By,

M Anem,

Senior Agronomist,

Bandar Baru UDA,

Johor BAhru,

Johor, Malaysia.

(5 Ramadan 1439H).