Red pineapple undergoing trials

THE Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), an agency under the Department of Agriculture (DA), is currently undertaking trials for the propagation of Spanish red pineapple in the Philippines.

BAR Director Nicomedes Eleazar visited the Camarines Norte Lowland, Rainfed Research-Outreach Station in the province early this week to get an update on the “Fruit Size and Quality Enhancement of Spanish Red Pineapple through Cultural Management Practices” project being implemented by DA-Regional project is funded by BAR.

The project aims “to come up with a package of technology on fertilizer management, planting density, and time and quantity of leaf harvest per plant. The combination of these technologies is projected to enhance the fruit size and quality of the Spanish red pineapple variety and thereby increase the income of Spanish red pineapple growers,” BAR said in a statement.

square meters of has been devoted by the DA-Camarines Norte Lowland Rainfed Research Station in Calasgasan, Daet, Camarines Norte, which was selected as the experiment site for Spanish red pineapple (SRP).

The planting materials were sourced from Aklan State University.

Last year, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol tasked the BAR and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) “to lead research initiatives on how to improve the size and the quality of the SRP fruits so that farmers will make additional income.”

BAR, as the lead agency for research and development in agriculture, has formulated an R&D program for research, cultural management studies for the production of large and sweet production from leaves of SRP in cooperation with other agencies such as BPI, Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority, DA-Regional Field

Spanish Red Pineapple is called such because of its reddish appearance.