PINEAPPLE YIELD AND QUALITY ON A BANANA SOIL OF THE CANARY-ISLANDS IRRIGATED WITH ACID AND SALINE WATER

Pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr) plants, cultivar 'Red Spanish', wer e grown in a greenhouse in 300-L containers, with soil from a banana p lantation, and irrigated with saline and acid waters, Essential chemic al soil characteristics were a pH of 6.9, electrical conductivity (EC) 1.26 dS m(-1) and available nutrient status 188 ppm P, 11.95 meg (100 -g)(-1) Ca, 5.35 meg (100-g)(-1) Mg, 3.96 meq (100-g)(-1) K, and 2.17 meq (100-g)(-1) Na. Irrigation water treatments consisted of control ( tap water); 7, 14, 21, and 28 meg L(-1) NaCl; 10, 15, 20, and 25 meg L (-1) NaHCO3; and 75 meg L(-1) H2SO4. Sodium chloride at levels of 14 m eg L(-1) and above in water affected fruit yield and quality adversely , Neither acid water nor bicarbonated waters had any effect on the fru it, except for the highest level of NaHCO3.