Pineapple belongs to the Family Bromeliaceae, Genus Ananas and Species Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. Selection of crops to combine with pineapple cultivation can occur in the form of crop rotation or inter row cropping. This practice has been adopted recently in some parts of the world because it permits use of resources more efficiently during the long production cycle of pineapple and in addition reduces the dependency on one crop and spreads income along the cultivation cycle. The pineapple crop also offers protection against heavy rain and winds to the intercropped species. In turn growth of the pineapple crop is healthier due to frequent weeding, fertilizer and pesticide application to the inter row crops. Pineapple cultivation is carried out routinely as a monocrop; as a result the crop is susceptible to many fungal diseases. Recent reports recommend crop rotation in pineapple farms as a means of controlling fungal diseases. The original plant is called the ‘plant crop’ while the fruit developed from the lateral, axillary branch attached to the axis of the plant crop is called the ‘first ratoon’. A healthy root system is necessary to produce successful ratoon crops. Ratoon crops are fertilized, irrigated, forced, ripened and harvested in a way similar to the plant crop. The amount of fertilizer used however is reduced. Ananas comosus belongs to the Bromeliaceae family, which is widely distributed in the Neotropics, Mexico, Brazil, and the Amazons, from Guayanas to northern Argentina, as well as in Africa and Asia. This fruit is consumed fresh and canned, but also in the form of juice, yogurt, ice cream, and jam. Vinegar and refreshing beverages such as garapiña and tepache are produced from its juice. Tepache and garapiña are alcoholic beverages. Garapiña is made from pineapple pulp and peel while tepache is usually made from pineapple peel only, but it can also be made from other fruits such as apple, orange, guava, and tamarind. Both beverages have been consumed since pre-Hispanic times and the etymology of the name is unclear. Some authors report that the name derives from the indigenous Nahuatl language: ʻtépiatl’ or ʻtepiatzin’ means water or beverage from maize, a variety named ʻtépitl’. Tepache and garapiña have a low alcohol concentration and are consumed principally in Mexico City; however, variants can be found and consumed in the Mexican states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Morelos, San Luis Potosí, Oaxaca, Jalisco, and Nayaritm. The pineapple is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuries. The introduction of the pineapple plant to Europe in the 17th century made it a significant cultural icon of luxury. Since the 1820s, pineapple has been commercially grown in greenhouses and many tropical plantations. Pineapples grow as a small shrub; the individual flowers of the unpollinated plant fuse to form a multiple fruit. The plant normally propagates from the offset produced at the top of the fruit or from a side shoot, and typically matures within a year. Some Ananas species are grown as ornamentals for color, novel fruit size, and other aesthetic qualities. Some Ananas species are grown as ornamentals for color, novel fruit size, and other aesthetic qualities Some Ananas species are grown as ornamentals for color, novel fruit size, and other aesthetic qualities. In the US, in 1986, the Pineapple Research Institute was dissolved and its assets divided between Del Monte and Maui Land and Pineapple. Del Monte took cultivar '73–114', dubbed 'MD-2', to its plantations in Costa Rica, found it to be well-suited to growing there, and launched it publicly in 1996 as 'Gold Extra Sweet', while Del Monte also began marketing '73–50', dubbed 'CO-2', as 'Del Monte Gold'. The Maui Pineapple Company began growing variety 73-50 in 1988 and named it Maui Gold.
