ABSTRACT
This study assessed and compared different methods for vegetative propagation of a miniature ornamental pineapple hybrid (ORN-MUT), seeking to determine the best method for production of plantlets, as well as for removal of the PMWaV viral complex from plants cultured in vitro, for production of healthy parent plants. Pineapple wilt is a disease that can cause large economic and is caused by a viral complex called Pineapple mealybug wilt-associated virus (PMWaV). For this, four propagation methods were evaluated (conventional, stem sectioning, micropropagation and etiolation of nodal segments). The time necessary for each method and the number of plants formed were assessed. Stem tips (0.5 mm) were cultured and indexed for three PMWaV types. Conventional propagation produced 17 plantlets per plant in 566 days, stem sectioning produced 2.3 plantlets per stem in 591 days, while the conventional micropropagation technique produced 1,284 plants after four subcultures in 778 days. Stems etiolated for 60 days showed peak production in the second subculture, with 1,224 plants. This method required 883 days to obtain plants with ideal size for transplantation to the field. In turn, stems etiolated for 120 days produced 935 plants at the end of four subcultures, with peak output in the third subculture, in which the plants could be cultivated in the field after 943 days. Conventional micropropagation and etiolation for 60 days were the best methods for production of plantlets of the ORN-MUT hybrid. The results of this work showed that the cultivation of shoot tips is an efficient strategy to remove the PMWaV complex and obtain healthy mother plants and can be a useful tool for other varieties of pineapple.