The effects of composted pineapple residue return on soil properties and the growth and yield of pineapple

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of composted pineapple residue return (CPRR) on soil bio-chemical properties and the growth performance of next-cropped pineapple plants. The results suggested that CPRR markedly decreased the soil bulk density and increased the contents of available P and K. CPRR significantly increased the abundance of bacteria and actinomycetes, and the activities of catalase, acid phosphatase and invertase in the soil were notably heightened. Growth characteristics, including the plant height, length of leaves and roots, leaf width, number of leaves and fresh weight of the aboveground and belowground parts were significantly increased by CPRR. The contents of chlorophyll, soluble sugars, and soluble protein, as well root vigor were also markedly increased. CPRR also increased the fruit transverse and longitudinal diameters, weight and yield of next-cropped pineapple.