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Black rot, caused by Chalara paradoxa (Thielaviopsis paradoxa), is the main post-harvest fruit rot of pineapple. It enters through wounds on the fruit surface (bruises, cuts, sunburn cracks, insect feeding) and turns fruit into a water-soaked black mess within days at warm temperatures. This is a handling and cold-chain problem, not a field-spray problem. Regional priority: Universal on any pineapple destined for storage or long-distance transport.

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When pineapple is most vulnerable

From harvest onward. Field infection can start on sunburned or wounded fruit before harvest, but visible black rot develops post-harvest at warm temperatures.

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How black rot shows in satellite data

  • Not visible at satellite scale.
  • Field predisposing factors (sunburn zones, wind damage, insect damage) are visible; these blocks are at elevated post-harvest risk.

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Field symptoms

  • Water-soaked lesions on the fruit surface, starting at wounds
  • Rapid darkening to soft, black, foul-smelling rot within 3 to 5 days at warm temperature
  • Black soot-like spores on the rotted tissue
  • Highest incidence on sunburned, wind-damaged, or thrips-scarred fruit
  • Post-harvest the most common time symptoms appear, in the packhouse or during transport

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Reduce the damage by

  • Harvest with a clean, sharp knife; avoid tearing the peduncle.
  • Handle carefully - every drop, bruise, or scrape is an entry point.
  • Field-cool fruit quickly - move from the block to shade or cool storage within 2 hours.
  • Post-harvest fungicide dip (thiabendazole or similar) for export fruit.
  • Cool storage at 7 to 10 C slows the pathogen dramatically.
  • Cull sunburned and wounded fruit in the packhouse rather than shipping.
  • Manage field pests and sunburn to reduce entry-wound density before harvest.

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Set an alert for early warning

Turn the diagnosis into a trigger. Black rot is a handling problem, so build alerts around post-harvest quality tracking.
Recommended settings for black rot on pineapple:
  • Post-harvest reject-rate alert - flag any harvest with black-rot cull rate above 5% for handling review.
  • Field-risk reminder - schedule a pre-harvest sunburn and thrips inspection to reduce entry wounds.
  • Cold-chain reminder - schedule a temperature log check on every export shipment.