Cumulative percentage of flowering-induced plants in the different treatment combinations in cv. Smooth Cayenne, Experiments 3 and 4, until the harvesting of the fruits on the last naturally induced plants.

<p>AFI: Artificially flowering-induced plants (including all four AFI treatment combinations); NFI: Naturally flowering-induced plants. In February 2013, decision was made to stop the regular checking of inflorescence emergence. AMI: Artificially maturity-induced fruits; NMI: Naturally maturity-induced fruits. FH: Farmers’ harvesting practice; OH: Optimum harvest.</p

P values of the F ratios from ANOVA for the effects of flowering induction practice, fruit maturity induction practice, harvesting practice and their interactions on average infructescence, crown and fruit weights and ratio crown: infructescence length in the two experiments per cultivar.

<p>* Significant at the 0.05 probability level</p><p>** Significant at the 0.01 probability level</p><p>*** Significant at the 0.001 probability level</p><p>Values in <b>bold</b> indicate the P-value considered to establish the effect (main or interaction) of the flowering induction practice, the maturity induction practice or the harvesting practice.</p><p>P values of the F ratios from ANOVA for the effects of flowering induction practice, fruit maturity induction practice, harvesting practice and their interactions on average infructescence, crown and fruit weights and ratio crown: infructescence length in the two experiments per cultivar.</p

Percentage of total fruits per treatment being non-exportable to European markets and falling within different set of quality criteria combinations in cv. Sugarloaf.

<p>^a Artificially maturity-induced fruits.</p><p>^b Naturally maturity-induced fruits.</p><p>^c FH: Farmers’ harvest practice.</p><p>^d Optimum harvest.</p><p>^e Quality criteria in <b>bold</b> refer to the quality criteria that do not respond to the quality requirement in the European markets.</p><p>^f Numbers in <b>bold</b> refer to where a huge number of pineapple fruits are not exportable to Europe.</p><p>Percentage of total fruits per treatment being non-exportable to European markets and falling within different set of quality criteria combinations in cv. Sugarloaf.</p

Effects of flowering and maturity induction practice and harvesting practice on the number of harvestings of the fruits in cvs Sugarloaf (Experiments 1 and 2) and Smooth Cayenne (Experiments 3 and 4).

<p>AMI: Artificially maturity-induced fruits; NMI: Naturally maturity-induced fruits; FH: Farmers’ harvesting practice; OH: Optimum harvest. Similar <i>small</i> letters at the top of each bar indicate that differences between means of the flowering induction treatments are not significant based on the ANOVA results (consider P-values in bold in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0143290#pone.0143290.t002" target="_blank">Table 2</a>). Similar <i>capital</i> letters at the top of each bar indicate that differences between means of the maturity induction treatments are not significant based on the ANOVA results (consider <i>P</i>-values in bold in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0143290#pone.0143290.t002" target="_blank">Table 2</a>). Similar <i>small</i> letters in <i>italic</i> at the top of each bar indicate that differences between means of the harvesting practice treatments are not significant based on the ANOVA results (consider <i>P</i>-values in bold in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0143290#pone.0143290.t002" target="_blank">Table 2</a>). In case of interactions all means are compared at LSD_0.05.</p

Variation in mean air temperature and monthly rainfall during the experimentation period (February 2010 to July 2013).

<p>Variation in mean air temperature and monthly rainfall during the experimentation period (February 2010 to July 2013).</p

Field information and cultural practices in the four experiments with cvs Sugarloaf or Smooth Cayenne.

<p>^a Information gathered from pineapple producer (field owner).</p><p>^b BP, spacing between plants within a row.</p><p>^c BR, width between rows.</p><p>^d BDR, spacing between double rows.</p><p>^e MAP, months after planting.</p><p>Field information and cultural practices in the four experiments with cvs Sugarloaf or Smooth Cayenne.</p

Effects and trade-offs of natural maturity induction vs. artificial maturity induction in a pineapple crop.

<p>Effects and trade-offs of natural maturity induction vs. artificial maturity induction in a pineapple crop.</p

Effects of flowering induction practice, maturity induction practice and harvesting practice on the percentages of fruits that are exportable and non-exportable to European markets in cvs Sugarloaf (Experiments 1 and 2) and Smooth Cayenne (Experiments 3 and 4).

<p>AMI: Artificially maturity-induced fruits; NMI: Naturally maturity-induced fruits; FH: Farmers’ harvesting practice; OH: Optimum harvest. Similar <i>small</i> letters aligned close to the bars filled in black indicate that differences between the percentages of exportable fruits following the flowering induction practice are not significant based on the ANOVA results (consider P-values in bold in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0143290#pone.0143290.t005" target="_blank">Table 5</a>). Similar <i>capital</i> letters aligned close to the bars filled in black indicate that differences between the percentages of exportable fruits following the maturity induction practice are not significant based on the ANOVA results (consider P- values in bold in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0143290#pone.0143290.t005" target="_blank">Table 5</a>). Similar <i>small</i> letters in <i>italic</i> aligned close to the bars filled in black indicate that differences between the percentages of exportable fruits following the harvesting practice are not significant based on the ANOVA results (consider P-values in bold in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0143290#pone.0143290.t005" target="_blank">Table 5</a>). In case of interactions all means are compared at LSD_0.05.</p

P values of the F ratios from ANOVA for the effects of flowering induction practice, fruit maturity practice, harvesting practice and their interactions on the percentage of fruits that are exportable to European markets in the two experiments per cultivar.

<p>* Significant at the 0.05 probability level</p><p>** Significant at the 0.01 probability level</p><p>*** Significant at the 0.001 probability level</p><p>Values in <b>bold</b> indicate the P-value considered to establish the effect (main or interaction) of the flowering induction practice, the maturity induction practice or the harvesting practice.</p><p>P values of the F ratios from ANOVA for the effects of flowering induction practice, fruit maturity practice, harvesting practice and their interactions on the percentage of fruits that are exportable to European markets in the two experiments per cultivar.</p

Effects and trade-offs of optimum harvest vs. farmers' harvest practice in a pineapple crop.

<p>Effects and trade-offs of optimum harvest vs. farmers' harvest practice in a pineapple crop.</p