*Omotoso S. O , E. A. Akinrinde
Commercial production of pineapple, a vitamin rich fruit crop in the tropics is gaining popularity in Nigeria. However, scanty information on the nutritional requirements of pineapple is one of the major constraints to the expansion of its cultivation in Nigeria. Field trial was conducted to determine the effects of nitrogen fertilizer rates on the growth, yield and fruit quality of pineapple at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Treatments consisted of N from urea fertilizer at 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200kg Nha-1 arranged in randomized complete block design (RCBD) were replicated three times. Results showed that N fertilizer application up to 200kg Nha-1 significantly (P=0.05) increased the number of leaves, D-leaf length and leaf area of both plant crop and ratoon crop. The highest yield of 23.0t ha-1 and average fruit weight of 1.63g plant-1 were obtained at 150kg Nha-1 and beyond which there was reduction. Fruit yield components [fruit length, fruit diameter and core diameter] increased, but fruit quality [Total soluble solid (TSS), percentage acidity and Vitamin C] decreased with increasing rates of N application. Application of 150kg Nha-1 is required for maximum fruit yield and quality parameters.
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