A field experiment was carried out with the pineapple, cultivar Pérola, in Santa Rita in the State of Paraíba, Brazil, during the period from March, 2001 to June, 2002. The development and yield of crop under supplemental irrigation conditions was evaluated in order to obtain information for improving crop management in the region. The growth and yield variables were compatible with those obtained in other studies. The results showed that the leaf area index (LAI) reached a value of 12, 308 days after planting and the fruits with weight above 1.7 kg reached 60% of the total harvested fruits. The fruit of 2nd category, with weight between 1.3 and 1.7 kg, represented 30% of the total fruit production while the remaining 10% of fruits harvested with weight less than 1.3 kg, were considered of lower quality and sent to the juice and animal food industry. The pineapple crop, cv Pérola, grown under climate and Costal Table Land soil of Santa Rita, PB, presented LAI, size of fruit and yield greater than those obtained in other regions of Brazil, even in irrigated areas.
Ananas comosus; growth analysis; pineapple crop yield
