Natural Flowering Control of Pineapple 'Pérola' and 'Vitória' Using Aviglycine Hydrochloride (AVG)

Andrea Pires¹Laís Fontana Silva¹Thayanne Rangel Ferreira¹Jeane Crasque¹Basílio Cerri Neto¹Lucio de Oliveira Arantes²Edilson Romais Schmildt¹José Aires Ventura²Vinicius de Souza Oliveira^2*Sara Dousseau Arantes^2*

• ¹Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória, Espirito Santo, Brazil
• ²Capixaba Institute for Research, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (INCAPER), Vitória, Brazil

Aviglycine hydrochloride (Aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG)) is an ethylene synthesis inhibitor recommended worldwide for controlling natural flowering of pineapple plants. However, the recommended dose depends on the environment, genotype and age of the plant. The objective was to evaluate the effect of AVG concentration in three application periods for controlling flowering in 'Pérola' (susceptible to fusariosis) and 'Vitória' (resistant to fusariosis) pineapple plants. The study was conducted in the field in the municipality of Sooretama, Espírito Santo-ES, Brazil. The experimental design used was randomized blocks in a 3x3+1 factorial scheme, consisting of three concentrations (100, 200 and 400 mg L -1 ) and three application times (April-July, May-July and June-July), with four replicates. The control was the plants without application. AVG controlled natural flowering in both pineapple cultivars and the effect was proportional to the increase in concentration. Increasing the concentration and number of applications induced phytotoxic effects and reductions in starch and photosynthetic pigment contents in the leaves, also reducing vegetative development and fruit weight. The cultivar Pérola was more susceptible to natural flowering control, with a longer period of floral inhibition and reduction in vegetative and reproductive development when 400 mg L -1 was applied. Therefore, we recommend that AVG be applied at a concentration of 100 mg L -1 before the climatic conditions for natural floral induction occur, which in the case of the northern coast of Espírito Santo, Brazil, occurs between June and July, and can extend until August, if nighttime temperatures are below 20 °C, being responsible for controlling natural flowering by 80%.