Pineapple plant named ‘FR20966’

A new and distinct pineapple, Ananas comosus, plant named ‘FR20966’, comprising certain unique traits, standing out Fusarium resistance obtained after crossing and backcrossing sexual crossing between plants of ‘Imperial’ variety (non-patented) and the variety ‘MD-2’ (non-patented). The new variety ‘FR20966’ in particular was the result of the back-cross of a selected plant of the ‘1/2.1531’ line, with a selected plant of ‘MD-2’, to achieve the combination of characters of interest that qualify ‘FR20966’ as a variety of commercial potential. The invention incorporates stable, inheritable resistance to Fusariosis disease in a pineapple variety capable of addressing all of the high quality requirements of global export markets.

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Description

Genus and species: Ananas comosus.

Variety denomination: ‘FR20966’.

This application includes material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct pineapple variety of Ananas comosus, hereinafter referred to as the variety named ‘FR20966’. The said variety has been developed by sexually crossing between plants of ‘IMPERIAL’ variety (the ‘1/2.1531’ line) (non-patented) and the variety ‘MD-2’ (non-patented) and selected from large populations of progenies of hybrids (F1), backcrossed two times (BC1 and BC2). This process started in 2009 in Limoeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil, and took fifteen (15) consecutive years of iterative hybridization, selection, and planting. The new variety ‘FR20966’ in particular was the result of the back-cross of a selected plant of the ‘1/2.1531’ line as the male parent, with a selected plant of ‘MD-2’ as the female parent, to achieve the combination of characters of interest that qualify ‘FR20966’ as a variety of commercial potential.

The main objective of the hybridization program was to introduce stable resistance to Fusariosis disease of pineapples into a variety that would produce attractive fruits with excellent organoleptic traits and the right shape and size that would satisfy the strict requirements of domestic and export markets. The new cultivar ‘FR20966’ has been reproduced asexually faithful to the type in Limoeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil through the tissue culture technique.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISEASE

Among all the diseases of pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus), Fusariose caused by Fusarium guttiforme stands out for being the one that brings largest economic losses to producers, with estimated losses between 50% and 100% of fruits and up to 50% in propagules (Matos, 2008).

Fusarium guttiforme can infect all parts of the pineapple causing the exudation of a gummy substance from the affected tissues. In plants, the lesion is located on the stem and progresses to the base of the leaf being restricted to the achlorophyllous region. Under field conditions an infected pineapple plant may show one or more external symptoms: stem tilt to the side where the lesion is located; changes in plant phyllotaxis, increasing the number of leaves per spiral; changes in the architecture of the plant that has the appearance of a funnel or cup; reduction in leaf length as well as in the overall development of the plant; “opening” of the central rosette of plants showing the youngest leaves; reducing the stem development; chlorosis; death of the apical meristem. As the disease progresses, the plant paralyzes growth and dies (Matos & Junghans, 2006).

In the fruits, the symptoms are manifested in the form of soft rot in the pulp, with accumulation of gum in the ovules of the ovary and exudation of the same through the infected floral cavity. At a more advanced stage of disease development, the skin of the fruit in the infected areas presents a red brown coloration and are at the lower level. These symptoms are observed with greater intensity in fruits near harvest (Matos & Junghans, 2006).

Following extensive field and laboratory research, four isolates of Fusarium guttiforme were identified for their particularly high virulence in the North East of Brazil, subsequently isolated and reproduced to serve as standard inoculum for the resistance trials the pineapple hybrids participating in this project were subjected to.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is related to a new and distinct pineapple variety of the Bromeliaceae family, which was derived from a backcross (BC2) between the ‘MD-2’, as the female, and the ‘1/2.1531’ as the male (which in turn was already a backcross of a backcross between ‘MD-2’ X ‘EC’ cultivar), through hand pollination and mass selection process during fifteen (15) years and provides Fusarium resistance to pineapple plants that could be grown in all areas, including where the disease caused by Fusarium guttiforme occurs.

In most characteristics, the selected hybrid is more alike to the ‘MD-2’ parent than the ‘1/2.1531’ parent. The main difference is in the resistance to Fusarium guttiforme exhibited by the ‘FR20966’ and absent in the ‘MD-2’ variety. However, the ‘FR20966’ hybrid has some characteristics that distinguish it from the ‘MD-2’ variety. ‘FR20966’ fruit has rounded shoulders, giving it a slightly ovoid appearance, unlike the ‘MD-2’ fruit, which tends to be barrel shaped. The fruit size is medium, providing a balance between weight and presentation. The leaves of ‘FR20966’ tend to have a small number of spines, especially when grown under dry and hot conditions. Additionally, the floral cone has sepals with a distinctly paler color compared to the sepals of ‘MD-2’ floral cone.

The new variety is characterized by occasional presence of spines at the leaf tip. Leaf color is gray-green, similar to the color of both parental lines, ‘MD-2’, and the BC1 ‘IMPERIAL’ hybrid ‘1/2.1531’ (FIG. 1).

The ‘FR20966’ line exhibits characteristics that significantly differentiate it from the ‘Imperial’ parent, justifying the application for the present disclosure. While the ‘Imperial’ has an intermediate-height plant with dark green spineless leaves, the ‘FR20966’ features leaves with a small number of spines under dry and hot conditions. The fruit of ‘FR20966’ is medium-sized, with a slightly ovoid shape due to more rounded shoulders, whereas the ‘Imperial’ produces small, cylindrical fruits with a rough surface caused by uneven fruitlets. Both have yellow pulp, but the ‘FR20966’ stands out for its uniform coloration and firm texture. Resistance to Fusarium guttiforme is present in both, but ‘FR20966’ combines this trait with commercial advantages such as a pleasant aroma and superior flavor. Additionally, the ‘Imperial’ has a small-diameter peduncle and occasionally slips attached to the fruit base, both traits not observed in the ‘FR20966’, which has a peduncle exceeding 2.4 cm in width and no slips attached to the fruit base. All these differences make ‘FR20966’ an innovative and promising alternative.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying pictures illustrate the overall appearance of the new Ananas comosus var. comosus ‘FR20966’ showing infection damage caused by artificial inoculation with four different isolates of Fusarium guttiforme showing the colors as reasonably possible with colored reproductions of this type. The lesion caused by direct inoculation with an infected needle on the fruit helped verify the resistance trait (earlier established by immersion of young plants in a suspension of Fusarium guttiforme's most virulent isolate), when comparing reaction of fruit pulp tissue of the new pineapple variety ‘FR20966’ with ‘MD-2’:

FIG. 1. View of the new variety ‘FR20966’ at 5.3 months after forcing (MAF).

FIG. 2. Cross sectional view of ‘FR20966’ and ‘MD-2’ fruit inoculated with Fusarium guttiforme isolates DM017, DMB35, DMB37 and DMB40 at 5.3 MAF.

FIG. 3. Longitudinal section view of Fusarium guttiforme inoculation site on fruit of ‘FR20966’ variety and ‘MD-2’ fruit at 5.3 MAF.

FIG. 4. External view of Fusarium guttiforme inoculation site on fruit of ‘FR20966’ and MD-2 varieties at 5.3 MAF.

FIG. 5. External view of inflorescence of ‘FR20966’ and MD-2 varieties at 59 days after floral induction.

 DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The new Ananas comosus cultivar ‘FR20966’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. However, the plants were grown under environmental conditions and cultural practices which approximate those generally used in commercial pineapple growing operations. The phenotype of the new cultivar may still vary depending on the environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, light intensity, and photoperiod without any change made to the genotype of the plant.

The aforementioned photographs, together with the following observations, measurements and values describing plants of ‘FR20966’ variety are based on observations made under optimally fertilized and growing conditions, in the region of Limoeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil (latitude −5.21945833° and longitude −37.914505°), where the temperatures generally range from 15.96-38.70° C., and an annual rainfall average of 746 mm.

The color terminology and designation reported here are in accordance with the Munsell Color Notation for Plants Tissues published by Munsell Color Macbeth, a division of Kollmorgen Corporation, Baltimore, Md. USA.

The following description was made based on a population of ‘FR20966’ plants, the BC2 hybrid obtained through hand pollination of parental lines in 2015 and planted in 2018 and fruit harvested in 2020 and new propagules produced from this plant planted in 2020.

  • Plant identification: Name: Ananas comosus var. comosus ‘FR20966’.
  • Parental lines: Selected plant BC1 ‘1/2.1531’ backcrossed to ‘MD-2’.
  • Origin: Conventional genetic improvement (hand pollination), through crossing and backcrossing.
  • Classification: Botanical: Bromeliaceae or pineapple family. Subfamily: Bromelioidae. Genus: Ananas. Subgenus: comosus. Variety: ‘FR20966’.
  • Commercial: Bromeliad fruit plant (pineapple).
  • Form: Terrestrial (in plantation), with overlapping, sessile leaves from a funnel-formed rosette, surrounding a composite inflorescence (during anthesis), with few or no slips in the fruit peduncle and suckers that are produced in the stem and originate subsequent crops.
  • General description: ‘FR20966’ (before anthesis).
  • Growth habit: Semi-erect.
  • Stem:
      • I. General.—Short, vertical, and covered by overlapping leaves, each leaf with a dominant axillary bud.
      • II. Stem texture.—Glabrous and smooth.
      • III. Stem size.—A) Length (above soil level): usually between 7.00-24.50 cm at anthesis. B) Diameter between 6.20-6.50 cm at ground level to the anthesis.
      • IV. Stem shape.—Cylindrical and with a narrower diameter at the distal part.
      • V. Stem color.—Whitish in color (5Y 8/4 in the Munsell color chart)
  • Leaves:
      • I. General.—Closely overlapping sessile leaves (formed in acropetal succession) forming a dense rosette, the outline of which in longitudinal section is roughly heart shaped. The number of leaves fluctuates between 42-83 with a 5/13 phyllotaxy.
      • II. Texture.—A) Upper epidermal area: Glabrous, semirigid and channeled (or concave) except at the leaf tip. B) Lower epidermal area: Finely striated (longitudinally) and appears covered with a white layer consisting of scale like trichomes.
      • III. Leaf arrangement.—Alternate and in rosette shape.
      • IV. Leaf margins.—Flat, with small deltoid cuspidate spines, regularly spaced and more prevalent, especially when grown under dry and hot conditions. These spines are most commonly found on the distal portions of the leaves and range in size from 0.70 to 1.50 mm.
      • V. Leaf venation.—Parallel.
      • VI. Leaf shape.—Leaves are not uniform in shape and vary with the position of the leaf on the stem. The basal or oldest leaves are lanceolate while the base is considerably expanded. There is a noticeable narrowing in width between achlorophyllous (basal) and chlorophyllous (or main portion) of the leaves. The longest or most mature leaves are lanceolate in shape, but the base is without the arcuate expansions of the preceding leaves. The remaining leaves (or center leaves of the plant rosette) are lanceolate in form with no expansion of width into the base. The shape of the leaf apex is accuminate.
      • VII. Leaf size (to anthesis).—A) Length: Usually between 82.0-103.0 cm for those ‘D’ leaves with a non chlorophyllous base that usually is between 5.0-8.0 cm in length. B) Width: Normally between 3.5-6.5 cm in the mid leaf area of the longest leaves. The expanded basal disk usually has a maximum width of 5.6-10.3 cm. C) Thickness: In the longest leaves, it usually varies between 2.2-3.1 mm at the center of the mid leaf area and decrease laterally between 0.9-1.6 mm at the margin, while becoming slightly thinner towards the tip. The expanded basal disk at the mid stem area usually has a maximum thickness of 1.6-3.0 mm at the center of the blade and tapering laterally toward margins up to 0.9-1.4 mm.
      • VIII. Leaf color like ‘MD-2’, mostly lacking anthocyanin.—A) Upper epidermal surface: 1. General: dominant color is commonly dark green. The color of the basal disk is predominantly white and light green; achlorophyllous basal disk area is commonly pale white. Mid leaf area: commonly dark green (7.5GY 3/2 in the Munsell color chart). Leaf tip area: commonly dark green (7.5GY 3/2 in the Munsell color chart). B) Lower epidermal surface (underside): General: commonly grayish green (2.5GY 5/2 in the Munsell color chart) with pale white basal disk area (2.5GY 8/2 in the Munsell color chart).
  • Inflorescence (at anthesis):
      • I. General.—Flower composite from 75-128 fruitlets borne per inflorescence of a long peduncle of approximately 7.0-24.5 cm length at the apical meristem. Individual bisexual flowers that consist of three petals, three sepals, six stamens, three stigmas and three carpels. The inflorescence is self-incompatible producing edible fruit parthenocarpically (production of fruit without fertilization of ovules).
      • II. Texture.—Glabrous and fibrous.
      • III. Shape.—Oval with slightly raised flowers with a light red to grayish red color in the crown.
      • IV. Size and color.—Comparable to specimens of Ananas comosus var. comosus. Petal size: 1.0-1.5 cm. Petal color in the apex: light purple (5RP 4/6 in the Munsell color chart) for the upper surface, and white for the lower surface.
      • V. Sepal size.—0.53-0.94 cm. Sepal color: yellowish brown (5Y 5/4 in the Munsell color chart) for both upper and lower surfaces.
      • VI. Floral bracts length.—From 1.27-2.21 cm, serrated margins (with tiny spines); yellowish brown color (7.5YR 4/2 in the Munsell color chart).
  • Crown (at harvest):
      • I. General.—Visually one crown. Visually one crown, composed on average of 57-81 leaves. Crown leaves are short, lanceolate in shape and erect at anthesis, measuring of 3.1-8.5 cm.
      • II. Leaf arrangement.—Alternate and in rosette shape.
      • III. Leaf margins.—Entire with smooth borders. Seldom very small spines in the tip of one leaf.
      • IV. Size at harvest (under semi-arid conditions; could be longer and heavier when grown during the rainy season).—Average 4.5-18.0 cm. Weight: average 35-170g. Diameter: 6.3-9.6 cm.
      • V. Shape.—Crown normally not exceeding length nor width of fruit and with semirigid leaves.
      • VI Attitude.—Upright.
      • VII. Color of the terminal crown leaves.—A. Upper surface: Dark green color at the apex (5GY 4/4 in the Munsell color chart) and dark green at the base (5GY 4/4 the Munsell color chart). B. Lower surface: grayish green (2.5GY 5/2 in the Munsell color chart).
  • Fruit (at harvest):
      • I. Size.—Usually with a weight between 1,042-2,734 grams and average weight of 1,896 grams. Fruit core's diameter 2.78-3.35 cm. Fruit core's color: yellow, similar to MD2 (5Y 7/6 in the Munsell color chart).
      • II. Shape.—Cylindrical with flat and medium size fruitlets. Medium-big crown (crown normally not exceeding length nor width of fruit) with thin and semirigid leaves. Fruit's height 12.10-18.70 cm, fruit's diameter: 11.60-15.20 cm.
      • III. How borne.—The development of the fruit occurs from the apical meristem of the plant medium sized peduncle, usually between 6.00-16.40 cm length. No slips available for evaluation. 6 long peduncle bracts, with spines on the edges and of medium green to dark green color (7.5GY 3/2 in the Munsell color chart) are generally present at the base of the fruit.
      • IV. Color.—A) Shell: commonly grayish green at early maturity (2.5Y 7/6 in the Munsell color chart), with yellowish brown bract (2.5Y 7/6 in the Munsell color chart). Fruit with yellow peduncle (5Y 8/4 in the Munsell color chart).
      • V. Fruit flesh.—Dense, firm, medium in fiber and juiciness, emitting characteristic pineapple aroma; flesh color distinctly yellow, similar to MD2 (2.5Y 8/6 in the Munsell color chart).
      • VI. Brix.—Typically, 13.8-16.0 degrees, standing out from their parents.
      • VII. Total acid levels.—Usually between 0.37-0.94 milligrams of citric acid/ml of juice.
      • VIII. Vitamin C content reported as ascorbic acid content.—Regularly between 24.57-54.70 mg/100 ml of juice.
      • IX. Plant/fruit resistance/susceptibility to pest and diseases.—The plant of the new variety ‘FR20966’ performs very similar to ‘MD-2’ differentiating mainly in its resistance to Fusarium guttiforme. Table 2 shows the comparison of pineapple varieties ‘FR20966’, ‘MD-2’ and ‘Champaka’ (not patented) and their resistance to Fusarium guttiforme.
  • Others:
      • I. Fertility.—This plant is self-incompatible. This is the reason why the presence of sexual seeds is almost null. The material used for planting are suckers, fruit crowns and vitroplants.
      • II. Vigor.—This plant exhibits similar vigor as its parents, the ‘1/2.1531’ line, and the ‘MD-2’ variety.
      • III. Yield.—A population of this pineapple can have an agronomic yield from 67-177 ton/ha.
      • IV. Plant use.—The fruit will be commercialized within the fresh fruit and processed fruit for the export market.

Summary of the special characteristics: the ‘FR20966’ plants present the following differences when compared to its parental lines:

    • A. Resistance to Fusarium guttiforme; MD-2 is very susceptible to this pathogen, while ‘FR20966’ exhibits total resistance.
    • B. The fruit of the FR20906 line has a predominantly cylindrical shape, with a slightly larger diameter in the middle, giving a gentle curvature to its profile. During the ripening process, the fruit shows a uniform coloration, with progressive and homogeneous color development from the base to the apex.
    • C. The crown of the fruit from the FR20906 line is classified as small to medium in size, which significantly distinguishes it from the MD2 variety.
    • D. The fruit of the FR20906 line features a pulp with low porosity and a firm texture.
    • E. Plant with little or none slips: ‘MD-2’ variety produces between 1-3 slips per plant, and the ‘1/2.1531’ produces between 0-1 slips per plant. By comparison, ‘FR20966’ reduces cosmetic and pest problems that can be originated by the contact of the slips with the fruit.
    • F. At full maturity, the resistance to Fusarium guttiforme allows the FR20966 to be harvested at the optimal point of ripeness, which permits consistently high sugar content and Brix levels similar to the MD-2 variety when grown under similar conditions.
    • G. As a result of the backcross process. ‘FR20966’ has acquired resistance to Fusarium guttiforme, just like the ‘1/2.1531’ but with an improved fruit size and internal quality similar to the ‘MD-2’. This combination of characteristics is important to differentiate this hybrid from its parents; as shown on Table 3, when reproduced asexually, these characteristics are stable and reproducible for successive generations.

TABLE 1 Average data for select organoleptic parameters and fruit size of the ‘FR20966’ hybrid. Ascorbic Citric Num- Acid Acid Fruit ber Gener- (m g/ (mg/ Weight of ation n Brix 100 ml) ml) (g) slips ‘FR20966’ 23 15.07 38.10 0.54 1,896 0 ‘MD-2’ 71 16.3  61.4  0.95 1,949 0 (data for ‘FR20966’ represent observations from evaluated when backcrossing ‘MD-2’ with 1/2.1531 hybrid; data for ‘MD-2’ represents the average score for ‘MD-2’ variety in the region).
  • Individual plant description: The following is an overview of ‘FR20966’ hybrid, a new pineapple plant variety, that was developed through hybridization process in Limoeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil. A non-limiting description of an exemplary single plant of the claimed plant variety is as follows and intended to provide with specificity an individual plant:
      • Plant age.—14.53 months after planting plus 5.30 months after forcing.
      • Plant growth habit.—Semi-upright.
      • Plant diameter.—150 cm between opposite leaf tips.
      • Plant height.—120 cm above ground surface.
      • Stem.—Length. 22 cm above ground surface. Diameter. Approximately 6.3 cm above ground surface.
  • Individual plant description:
  • Leaves:
      • I. Number.—63 leaves.
      • II. Length.—101 cm for the longest leaf.
      • III. Width.—(Largest leaves) at mid leaf approximately 6.4 cm. Leaf piping is absent.
      • IV. Thickness.—2.9 mm along the axis.
      • V. Color.—A) Upper epidermal chlorophyllous area: Commonly dark green (7.5GY 3/2in the Munsell color chart). B) Upper epidermal non chlorophyllous area: commonly pale white (2.5GY 8/2 in the Munsell color chart). C) Lower epidermal area: Commonly grayish green (2.5GY 5/2 in the Munsell color chart). Leaf anthocyanin coloration may appear slightly on some plants.
  • Individual plant description:
  • Inflorescence:
      • General.—Composite inflorescence borne on a long peduncle at the apical meristem. The inflorescence is composed of 119 flowers, which eventually lead to an equal number of fruitlets.

TABLE 2 Petals: Description of size and texture of flowers of ‘FR20966’ hybrid Inflorescence ID Trait Note 14 Size of bracts (cm) 1.27-2.21 15 Petal: color of apex (purple 2 red), base (white) 16 Petal length (mm) 10-15 N/A Petal width (cm) 0.50-0.70 N/A Petal Height (cm) 1.3-1.8 N/A Petal texture very finely textured and smooth feel

TABLE 3 Reproductive organs. Description of size and shape of reproductive organs of ‘FR20966’ hybrid. Trait Note Inflorescence Style (mm) 7.1-9.1 Stamen (mm) 5.7-8.3 Style shape tubular Stamen shape tubular Style color Base = white, top - pale purple Filament color Filament base = white, filament top - pale purple Anther color Pale yellow Pollen color transparent

TABLE 4 Peduncule: length and diameter of the peduncle of ‘FR20966’ hybrid are as follows. Peduncule ID Trait Note 21 Length (cm) 6.0-16.4 22 Diameter (cm) 2.4-3.7 

TABLE 5 Susceptibility to pest and diseases of different commercial varieties to Fusarium guttiforme (‘FR20966’ is resistant and ‘Champaka’ and ‘MD-2’ are susceptible). Pineapple Variety Pest/Disease ‘FR20966’ ‘MD-2’ ‘Champaka’ Fusarium guttiforme. R+ S+ S

The pineapple variety ‘FR20966’ has a post-harvest shelflife similar to ‘MD-2’ variety, showing similar performance in shell dehydration studies.

‘FR20966’ fruit general characteristics are as follows (A) a fruitlet apex which is flat; (B) the flesh density is medium; (C) the number fruitlets per syncarp is 75-128; (D) the fruitlet characteristics are as follows:

TABLE 6 ID Trait Note Fruit 31 Fruit shape (cylindrical) 3 32 Fruit length (cm) 12.1-18.7 33 Fruit diameter (cm)  11.6-15.20 34 Predominant color of mature eye 6 (medium yellow) 35 Fruit: Size (medium) 5 N/A Size of eye diameter width (cm) 1.9-3.4 N/A Size of eye length (cm) 1.9-3.4 N/A Color of immature eye (grayish green) 4 37 Fruitlet apex (flat) 2 38 Evenness of color of eyes (even) 1
      • I. Shell color.—‘FR20966’ shell color at mature (2.5Y 7/6 in the Munsell color chart) and immature (5Y 5/4 in the Munsell color chart) stages.
      • II. Weight and shape of fruit.—‘FR20966’ average fruit weight is similar to the ‘MD-2’, and ‘Champaka’; ‘FR20966’ has a cylindrical shape slightly enlarged in the center.
      • III. Ascorbic acid.—‘FR20966’ has a higher content of ascorbic acid than its relative A. comosus cv. ‘IMPERIAL’, but similar to ‘MD-2’ variety.
      • IV. Citric acid.—‘FR20966’ citric acid content is similar to ‘MD-2’.
      • V. Brix.—The sugar content (measured as brix degrees) of ‘FR20966’ is slightly higher to that found on ‘MD-2’.
      • VI. Age to forcing.—‘FR20966’ is vigorous and can reach forcing plant size 8-17 months after planting (shorter when using vegetative propagation material, and longer when starting with seed). Although plant development time to forcing depends on the size of planting material used and the desired plant weight at floral induction, the above figures are similar to those achieved by the ‘MD-2’ variety, which reaches an optimal forcing size in 8.5 months after planting when using vegetative propagation material.
      • VII. Leaf spines.—This characteristic is commonly used to differentiate pineapple plants from other varieties. The color of the leaf spines are as follows: Tip: dark green like MD-2 (7.5GY 3/2 in the Munsell color chart), base: dark green like MD-2 (7.5GY 3/2 in the Munsell color chart). ‘FR20966’ does not have conspicuous or regular thorns on the leaf like its parental ‘1/2.1531’. It does parental ‘MD-2’, although ‘MD-2’ often presents irregular thorns on the edges of the leaf blade as well. Fruit quality of ‘FR20966’ when compared with other pineapple varieties: most pineapple varieties grown worldwide are produced for local consumption, and very few are grown for international commercialization and global distribution. The fruit characteristics bread into ‘FR20966’ were specifically chosen to comply with the strictest quality standards of export markets like those of North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. As shown in Table 7, ‘FR20966’ compares very favorably against ‘MD-2’, the pineapple variety that has achieved most notoriety to date in global markets.

TABLE 7 Comparison of ‘FR20966’ against other varieties on some of the most important characteristics relevant to fresh fruit destined for exportation. Ascorbic Acid (mg/ # Of slips Fruit weight (g) 100 ml) Variety/ Aver- Aver- Aver- Cultivar (11) age Range age Range age ‘FR20966’(1) 0 0-1 1896 1042-2734 38.10 ‘MD-2’(2) 1.2 0-3 1820 1070-2560 53.06 ‘Morada’(3) 7.57 4-9 1887 1566-2000 20.03 ‘Honey Gold’ 1.5 0-3 1033  450-1678 21.14 ‘Champaka 1.1 1710  420-3010 12.91 153’(3) ‘Champaka 1.5 2328 F152’ ‘CO-2’(4) 2-3 2059 1297-2590 ‘Singapore’  2-12 1000 ‘Spanish’(5) ‘Sarawak’(5) 0 2000-4000 ‘Mauritius’(5) 0  500-1500 ‘Josephine’(6) 1100-1300 ‘Scarlett’(6) 1400-2000 ‘Red Spansh’(7) 1-3 1200-2000 ‘T'ainung 11’(7) 6.9  991  733-1269 ‘Imperial’(8) 9 1792 ‘Perolera’(8)  8-10 1800 ‘Pernambuco’(9) 1000-1500 ‘Primavera’(9)  7-10 1300 ‘Queen’(10) 10  500-1000 26 Ascorbic Acid Citric Acid (mg/ (mg/ml) °Brix Variety/ 100 ml) Aver- Aver- Cultivar (11) Range age Range age Range ‘FR20966’(1) 24.57-54.70 0.54 0.37-0.94 15.07 13.8-16.0 ‘MD-2’(2) 37.00-69.06 0.6  0.36-0.84 15.55 12.9-17.2 ‘Morada’(3)  9.90-24.90 0.69 0.58-0.86 13.51 12.2-15.1 ‘Honey Gold’ 14.73-37.36 0.98 0.67-1.33 16.18 14.4-18.1 ‘Champaka  8.10-17.72 0.72 0.54-0.90 14.33 11.6-17.0 153’(3) ‘Champaka 0.73 14.97 F152’ ‘CO-2’(4) 30.80-55.50 0.42-0.91 15.0-16.7 ‘Singapore’ 0.50-0.60 10.0-12.0 ‘Spanish’(5) ‘Sarawak’(5) 0.30-0.65 14.0-17.0 ‘Mauritius’(5) 0.40-0.60 15.0-17.0 ‘Josephine’(6) 17.0-22.0 ‘Scarlett’(6) 15.0-18.0 ‘Red Spansh’(7) 12.00 ‘T'ainung 11’(7)  1.40-18.50 0.5  0.40-0.6  14.00 13.2-15.1 ‘Imperial’(8) 0.62 15.80 ‘Perolera’(8) 20.00-40.00 0.64 13.10 14.0-16.0 ‘Pernambuco’(9) ‘Primavera’(9) 0.51 13 ‘Queen’(10) 0.56 14.0-16.0 (data for ‘FR20966’ represent observations from the first plant evaluated when backcrossing ‘MD-2’ with 1/2.1531 hybrid; data for ‘MD-2’ represents the average score for ‘MD-2’ variety in the region). (1)FR20966 fruit harvested in Brazil. (2)Pindeco's historical data base and monthly research report April 2001. (3)Pindeco's fruit historical data base. Pindeco's forcing plant weight data base. (4)Plant Pat. No. 8,863. (5)Wee, Y. C. 1972. Some common pineapple cultivars of west Malaysia. Malays Pineapple pp 7-13. (6)Bartholomew et al. 2003 The Pineapple, Botany, Production and Uses. (7)Chang, Ching-Chyn, 1995 Tainung No. 13. Pineapple. Jour. Agric. Res. China 44(2): 287-296. (8)Pinto da Cunha et al. 0 abacaxizeiro. Pineapple News Issue No 10 May 2003. (9)Pinto da Cunha et al. 0 abacaxizeiro. Py et al. The pineapple Cultivation and uses. (10)Del Monte pineapple germplasm collection database. (11)Cultivars are unpatented unless indicated otherwise.

REFERENCES CITED

    • MATOS, A. P. (2008) Perdas causadas pela F. guttiforme. Available in https://www.embrapa.br/busca-de-publicacoes/-/publicacao/981520/situacao-e-perspectivas-da-abacaxicultura-no-amazonas.
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Claims

1. A new and distinct Ananas comosus plant named ‘FR20966’, as illustrated and described herein.

Referenced Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
PP36777 July 1, 2025 Sauter
Patent History
Patent number: PP37193
Type: Grant
Filed: Jan 27, 2025
Date of Patent: Jan 6, 2026
Assignee: Del Monte International GmbH (Zug)
Inventors: Hans Sauter (Coral Gables, FL), Joao Rodrigues (Limoeiro do Norte)
Primary Examiner: Karen M Redden
Application Number: 19/038,364
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Fruit (including Ornamental Variety) (PLT/156)
International Classification: A01H 6/22 (20180101); A01H 5/08 (20180101);