Double-phase culture system for large scale production of pineapple

We have developed an efficient and simplified method for shoot proliferation of the pineapple (Ananas comosus L.), using a Double-Phase Culture System (DPS) (semi-solid medium with a layer of liquid medium on the top). Under these conditions, up to 430 microshoots were produced from 5 initial shoots within 5 months, and without shoot manipulation. Thus, >50% shoots proliferated as compared to that on agar-solidified medium. Shoots taken from DPS were rooted within 4 weeks at a frequency of up to 100%, in full-strength or half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0.5–2.5 μM indole-3-butyric acid. The plantlets were then transferred into soil, and they survived acclimatization with 100% success. Thus, DPS could be useful for large-scale micropropagation of a range of pineapple cultivars, with high production of plantlets at the end of process, and reduced labor costs during the subcultures.