Patent Grant
PP34973
Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Ananas comosus.
Variety denomination: ‘DOLE-34’.
Pineapple is a popular fruit worldwide. There is a continued need for improved varieties, particularly those varieties with different and attractive shell color combined with enjoyable fruit flavor.
The invention refers to a new plant variety of pineapple (Ananas comosus) family Bromeliaceae, subclass of Monocotyledons, and named ‘Dole-34’. The fruit has a distinctly reddish-orange color of the shell, pleasant-sweet flavor, higher carotenoid content which gives an attractive yellow flesh color, and it produces a large oval to round shaped fruit with a crown that is lengthened cylindrical with a bunchy top different from its progenitors. This new variety is tolerant to natural flowering differentiation (NDF).
The new pineapple (Ananas comosus) variety, ‘Dole-34’, inherited several traits from its female parent including the distinctive reddish color of the shell, spineless green leaves showing anthocyanin pigments, and tolerance to NDF, and from its male side received short peduncle length and high carotenoid content in the pulp. ‘Dole-34’ shows a more compact plant structure, more intense reddish-orange tone in the shell, and higher Brix compared to its female parent. The uniqueness of ‘Dole-34’ which makes it different from its progenitors is its large reddish oval-to-round shaped fruit with a crown that is lengthened cylindrical with a bunchy top.
The accompanying photographs depict the new variety ‘Dole-34’ and its progenitors: ‘Dole-17’ and ‘Dole-11’.
‘Dole-34’ was originally selected during August 2015 as an individual plant within a segregating population produced from seed from a cross carried out in 2012 between ‘Dole-17’ (unpatented) and ‘Dole-11’ (unpatented), and named ‘1215MC-17/11-025’. Testing and selection of three consecutive asexual generations took place from 2015 through 2021, in Honduras, Central America.
Parental Description: ‘Dole-17’ used as the female parent was selected after crossing ‘Manzana’ (a red shell Colombian native cultivar) and ‘P-1972’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,396). ‘Dole-17’ possess a distinctive red shell color derived from its female progenitor ‘Manzana’. The plant shows an erect plant habit, upright foliage attitude, long spineless leaves with piping of whitish in color, and green leaves with reddish tones due to the presence of anthocyanin pigments. The inflorescence at bottom stage shows a unique red color. The plant bears a uniform cylindrical and symmetrical fruit with a smooth and thin shell and flat fruitlets or eyes, and it develops many slips by harvest time. Fruit is borne on a long peduncle and the crown is long and conical, with an average weight of 2.0 Kg. ‘Dole-17’ has unique characteristics such as distinctive fruit aroma with a tendency to acid flavor, and yellow color flesh which varies in intensity depending on the harvest season. Incidence of FCR and marbling is low in ‘Dole-17’, and it shows high tolerance to natural flowering differentiation (NDF) inherited from its male parent ‘P-1972’. ‘Dole-17’ shows tolerance to FCR (Fruitlet Core Rot) caused by Fusarium moniliforme, Blackheart, and Root Rot caused by Phytophtora cinnamomi.
‘Dole-11’ used as the male parent, was derived from crossing hybrid clones 58-1184 and 59-443. ‘Dole-11’, also known as Tropical Gold® pineapple, is a popular commercial variety appreciated for its yellow and golden yellow shell and pulp color when ripen respectively. Regularly, leaf margins in ‘Dole-11’ are devoid of spines: however, spines may be present, and their abundance and distribution may vary depending on the environmental conditions. The inflorescence at bottom stage shows a unique green-yellow color. Fruit is mostly conical to cylindrical-sharp taper in shape, with a long conical and attractive crown, and weighing approximately 1.9 Kg. The flesh in ‘Dole-11’ is smooth in texture, with small to intermediate amount of fiber, and with high content of vitamin C. Brix/Acid ratio ranges from 28°-35°, favoring a pleasant and mostly sweet flavor. ‘Dole-11’ is resistant to both FCR (Fruitlet Core Rot) caused by Fusarium moniliforme, and Blackheart, but it is highly susceptible to Root Rot caused by Phytophtora cinnamomi.
This breeding effort aimed to produce a fresh fruit variety with high yield potential, distinctive red shell color, pleasant aroma with sweet pulp flavor, and tolerant to natural flowering differentiation. The development of the new variety started during 2012 in the North coast of Honduras (USDA Hardiness Zone: approximately 13 B). A segregating population was produced by cross-pollinating flowers of ‘Dole-17’ with pollen taken from plants of the variety ‘Dole-11’. The first plant selection was practiced in year 2015 and was identified as ‘1215MC-17/11-025’ later named ‘Dole-34’. Genetic stability of this selection was evaluated during three consecutive asexual generations which took place from 2015 through 2021 in El Porvenir, Atlántida. Different methods of asexual propagation were used for variety multiplication, i.e., stem cuttings, slips, suckers, gouging of fruit crowns, and tissue culture derived plants. ‘Dole-34’ shows unique characteristics such as spineless leaves of green with red mottling colors showing piping, a large oval to round shaped fruit with a crown that is lengthened cylindrical with a bunchy top, a reddish inflorescence at bottom stage, a distinctive reddish-orange color of the shell, and a balanced sweet/acid pulp flavor particularly during the dry warm season. Conducive NDF conditions occurring in the North Coast of Honduras during three consecutive winter seasons revealed that the new pineapple hybrid ‘Dole-34’ is tolerant to natural flowering. The new variety is stable and has reproduced true to type in three successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following is a description of the new plant variety based on observations made prior to forcing in December of 2019, after forcing in February of 2020, and at harvesting in September through October of 2020, grown in the North Coast of Honduras (15 degrees 44 minutes latitude north, and 86 degrees 53 minutes longitude west). The average temperature in the North Coast Honduras is 26° C., with 3,542-mm of annual average precipitation. The Munsell Color Chart was used for all color designations (Munsell Book of Color Gretag Macneth LLC, 617 Little Britain Road, New Windsor, N.Y. 12553-6148).
brevipes)
brevipes)
Four indel DNA markers were developed using a combination of primers (Table 3) for distinguishing between ‘Dole-34’ and its progenitors ‘Dole-17’ and ‘Dole-11’.
The PCR program for generating the banding patterns was as follows: First denaturing cycle at 98° C. for 50 seconds, forty cycles of denaturing at 98° C. for 10 seconds, primer annealing at 56° C. for 15 seconds, and extension at 72° C. for 12 seconds, a final extension at 72° C. for 3 minutes, and finally hold at 4° C. PCR products were analyzed by 3% agarose electrophoresis. The assignment of genotype A, B and H was as follows:
