> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://badixth-dc85e378.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Diagnose and Respond to Chilling Injury in Pineapple

> Identify chilling injury in pineapple from multiple crowns at forcing, internal browning, and translucent flesh, and reduce damage with variety choice, forcing timing, and post-harvest handling.

Pineapple is a tropical crop with no true cold dormancy but is sensitive to sub-optimal temperatures below about 15 C. Cold nights around forcing time cause **multiple crowns and fasciated fruit**; cold nights around ripening cause **internal browning (blackheart)** and **translucent flesh**. These are physiological disorders, not diseases, and vary strongly by variety.

**Regional priority:** Moderate to high on highland blocks (>700 m elevation), during cool-season peaks in the subtropics, and during post-harvest cold-chain excursions.

## When pineapple is most vulnerable

* **Forcing (month 12 to 14)**: 2 or more nights below 18 C triggers multiple crowns in MD2 and Josapine.
* **Fruit development to ripening (month 14 to 22)**: sustained nights below 15 C cause internal browning that only shows when the fruit is cut open at harvest or after storage.
* **Post-harvest**: fruit stored below 7 C for more than a few days develops translucent flesh and blackheart.

## How chilling shows in satellite data

* Not directly detectable. Chilling injury is internal or morphological.
* **Indirect indicator**: minimum-temperature grids for the block during the vulnerability windows.
* Multiple-crown incidence can be counted on drone imagery at fruit set.

## Field symptoms

* **Multiple crowns** on the fruit (2 or more small crowns instead of one central crown)
* **Fasciated (flattened, ribbon-like) crown or fruit**
* **Internal browning of ripe flesh** ("blackheart") - only visible when cut
* **Translucent, water-soaked flesh** in the lower fruit
* **Off-flavor and reduced sugar** in affected fruit
* **Delayed or uneven flowering** after cold forcing

## Reduce the damage by

* **Choose the variety for the site** - Sarawak and Moris tolerate cool nights better than MD2 and Josapine.
* **Time forcing** to avoid the coldest month of the year on your site.
* **Foliar potassium and calcium** before forcing improves fruit quality and reduces internal browning.
* **Do not force in weeks with a cold-front forecast**.
* **Manage the harvest cold chain** - keep fruit above 8 C in transport and storage.
* **Cull fruit at packing** if multiple crowns are visible; downgrade to processing rather than fresh export.
* **On highland blocks**, plan for a 20 to 25 month cycle rather than 14 to 18.

## Set an alert for early warning

<Tip>
  Turn the diagnosis into a trigger. Chilling is a weather event, so build the alert on temperature forecasts, not NDVI.
</Tip>

Recommended settings for chilling on pineapple:

* **Weather alert** - minimum temperature forecast below 18 C for 2 or more nights during forcing month.
* **Weather alert** - minimum temperature below 15 C for 3 or more nights during fruit development.
* **Cold-chain reminder** - schedule fruit-quality checks 2 weeks after any recorded cold event.

## Related

* [Pineapple Diagnosis](/guides/Crop/Pineapple/pineapple-diagnosis)
* [Set up automated crop alerts](/guides/alerts-notifications)