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Fusariosis, caused by Fusarium guttiforme (formerly F. subglutinans f. sp. ananas), is the major fungal killer of pineapple in Latin America and increasingly in Southeast Asia. It enters through wounds - mechanical injury, mealybug feeding sites, harvest tools - and causes basal rot, fruit rot, and sucker rot. Unlike Phytophthora, it does not need standing water; it needs a wound. Regional priority: Very high in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and increasingly in Southeast Asia; moderate in Africa.

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When pineapple is most vulnerable

At all phases, but the highest incidence follows mechanical wounding: harvest, forcing chemical application, thinning, or mealybug outbreaks. Sucker rot appears in newly planted blocks.

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How fusariosis shows in satellite data

  • Scattered dead plants rather than clusters - hard to see at Sentinel scale.
  • Edge and headland concentration where machinery and harvest activity concentrate wounds.
  • Confirm on the ground with basal-cut inspection (pink-brown stain, resin exudate).

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Field symptoms

  • Basal white-to-pink rot with characteristic pink-brown stain when cut
  • Amber-colored resin exudate on the outside of the base or stem
  • Curved, bent, or twisted fruit with tissue collapse (“fruitlet core rot”)
  • Sucker rot on newly planted material
  • Scattered dead plants along headlands and machinery tracks
  • Slow decline over weeks, not sudden collapse

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Reduce the damage by

  • Use disease-free, resistant planting material - MD2 has moderate resistance; Perola and Smooth Cayenne are highly susceptible.
  • Dip suckers and slips in a fungicide bath (triazole or benzimidazole) before planting.
  • Avoid wounding - handle plants with care during forcing, thinning, and harvest.
  • Control mealybugs and other wounding pests - mealybug feeding sites are common Fusarium entry points.
  • Disinfect harvest tools between plants on infected blocks.
  • Post-harvest fruit dip in fungicide for export-quality fruit.
  • Destroy infected plants promptly; do not leave rotten fruit on the block as inoculum.

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Set an alert for early warning

Turn the diagnosis into a trigger. Fusariosis follows wounds, so build alerts around post-forcing and post-harvest inspections.
Recommended settings for fusariosis on pineapple:
  • Post-forcing inspection reminder - schedule a walk-through 3 weeks after every forcing application.
  • Post-harvest inspection reminder - schedule a headland walk 2 weeks after every harvest.
  • Mealybug follow-up alert - trigger a fusariosis inspection 4 weeks after any block flagged for mealybug outbreak.