This chapter covers the morphology and anatomy (stems, leaves, roots, inflorescences, fruits and vegetative propagules) of pineapple, and the taxonomy of Bromeliaceae and Ananas in general, and pineapple in particular.

This chapter covers the history of pineapple cultivation, development of the pineapple trade, world production and trade of pineapple, and utilization of pineapple byproducts.

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Wild Ananas species in northern South America occur in shady environments and appear to be relatively intolerant to droughts associated with growth under full sun exposure. This behaviour contrasts with the higher productivity of commercial varieties of Ananas comosus when grown under full sun exposure. Such differentiation within the genus offers an opportunity to study the process of adaptation of apparently high light avoiding species into true sun plants. As a first approximation, the analysis of nitrogen content and carbon and hydrogen isotope ratios of bromeliads growing under natural conditions was undertaken to test the following hypotheses: 1. Leaf nitrogen content of plants grown under partial shade is higher than that of the same species in the same habitat growing under full sun exposure, due to the higher availability to nitrogen in the under-canopy, but also to the lower proportion of structural carbohydrates in shade leaves; 2. 6I3C values are usually more negative in CAM bromeliads growing under partial shade because of the lower contribution of CAM to total carbon gain, and the probable fixation of C02 originating from soil respiration; 3.6D values of CAM bromeliads are less negative than those of C3 bromeliads, but CAM bromeliads grown in shady habitats tend to have more negative 6D values because of the lower relative accumulation of deuterium in leaf tissue water, and also because of their relatively lower CAM activity. The results show a clear differentiation between CAM and C3 bromeliads based on 6I3C values, and in general 6D values are less negative in CAM bromeliads. However, in several species overlapping 6 D values between C3 and CAM bromeliads were observed. The analysis of paired samples of the same species grown under contrasting light intensity usually conformed with the expectations. A number of deviations from the hypotheses were observed which appeared to be related to particular environmental conditions. The interpretation of 8 D values obtained from total organic matter is made difficult by the local variation of hydrogen/ deuterium ratios in water available to the plant.

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The pineapple, Ananas comosus var. comosus, a major contribution from Precolombian civilizations to world horticulture, evolved from the wild A. comosus var. ananassoides in the Guianas and further developed into a wide range of large-fruited cultivars in the upper Amazon, more than 3,500 thousands years ago, before diffusing to all tropical Americas in prehistoric times. As wild relatives and primitive cultigens belong to the botanical varieties of A. comosus and to the wild tetraploid A. macrodontes, reproductive barriers are inexistent or limited to differences in ploidy. The exploitation of wild and primitive germplasm is promising for pineapple breeding; however, it is limited by the difficult characterization and introgression of resistance traits. In comparison, the development of ornamental cultivars appears straightforward, as interesting traits are much easier to manipulate. Other uses, as high-quality fiber production and pharmaceutical treatments, open new commercial perspectives. Ananas germplasm collections clearly need further investigation to realize their full potential. (Résumé d'auteur