Potential low-cost micropropagation of pineapple (Ananas comosus)

We developed a low cost micropropagation procedure for pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr). A liquid MS medium, supplemented with 0.8–1.0 mg BA l− 1 of medium yielded the best multiplication, with about 8 to 9 shoots during a culture interval of 8 weeks. Proliferation and rooting stages in vitro can be carried out under the natural ambience of a nethouse instead of growth chamber conditions. No statistical differences were observed between the two environmental conditions for propagation and rooting, and survival after 10 weeks of acclimatization approximated 100% for the nethouse plants. Nethouse plants were assessed to be about 20% cheaper to produce than growth chamber plants.