Muscat: Razat Sultaniya Farm of the Royal Court Affairs has succeeded in producing the pineapple crop locally, following 15 years of research, which included testing the local environment's ability to embrace the pineapple crop.
The stages of pineapple cultivation at Razat Sultaniya Farm in Dhofar Governorate evolved from limited cultivation in potted plants to extensive cultivation under the shade of trees and in greenhouses. The pineapple cultivation period is between July and December.
This period is characterized by moderate weather and high humidity associated with the autumn season in Dhofar Governorate.
After about six months, the vegetative growth phase begins, and the fruits reach the harvest stage about twelve months after planting, when the lower part begins to turn golden yellow.
Eng. Suhail bin Saeed al Mashani, Senior Agricultural Engineering Specialist at Razat Sultania Farm, said: "The experience of growing the pineapple crop at Razat Sultania Farm is a successful and pioneering experiment in the agricultural field, where several varieties of pineapple have been cultivated, including the Queen variety, the Mauritius variety, and the MD-2 variety, and the current variety MD-2 is one of the most widespread varieties globally due to its large size of fruits ranging from 2 kilograms to more than 4 kilograms, in addition to its sweet taste and high marketing value.
He added: "The pineapple crop is characterized by its low water requirement compared to other tropical crops, and the tissue culture technology has contributed to the success of this project by providing a large number of homogeneous and disease-free seedlings, and this technology will contribute to the future expansion of cultivated areas.
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