Harvesting Queen pineapple leaves does not affect sucker production

Queen pineapple (Ananas comosus L.) remains to be a profitable crop in Camarines Norte. Aside from its sweet fruit, the leaf is a good source of fiber for cloth and paper production. The Labo Progressive Multipurpose Cooperative (LPMC) in Camarines Norte [Philippines] reported that a Manila-based fiber company has a requirement of 1,650 kg/month but LPMC can only supply 600 kg. Another concern aired by growers in the harvesting of Queen pineapple leaves is its effect in the production of suckers as planting materials. Pineapple suckers cost Php 0.50-0.60/piece. With a plant population of 28,400, a farmer needs to invest Php 14,200-17,040/ha if he does not have his own planting material. To test the effect of leaf harvesting on the production of suckers, Obrero (BIARC) conducted an experiment to provide recommendation on leaf gathering for fiber extraction of Queen pineapple. Specifically, Obrero verified the effect of time and method of leaf gathering on the size of suckers, volume of harvested leaves, and the economic prospects of both fiber and sucker production. Findings of the study revealed the following: The time and method of leaf harvesting have no negative effect on sucker production for planting material in terms of size and number. For best economic consideration, harvesting all marketable leaves by hand pulling and a combination of harvesting 50% of the leaves before fruit harvest and the remaining leaves after fruit harvest can also provide satisfactory return. Providing alleyways can also facilitate fruit harvesting and avoid leaf damages caused by fruit harvest/hauling operations. Gathering the maximum number of harvestable leaves does not hamper plants' capacity to produce quality suckers for planting materials.Farmers can gain additional income in both fiber extraction and production of sucker for planting materials.