Plants of pineapple Smooth Cayenne cultivar were collected from a commercial area, Córrego dos Bois farm, in Canápolis, state of Minas Gerais, to evaluate two different processes of propagation, peduncle division and tissue culture. These same plants were characterized by RAPD analysis. According to the two propagation method, the peduncle division was efficient in seedlings propagation, in quantity as well as in quality, at a short period of time, resulting the same phenotype and genetic characteristics (RAPD analysis) from the matrix descent plants. In the tissue culture method, the quantity of seedlings obtained were not good enough that could prove the use of a sophisticated methodology. Besides loosing 70% of the material, it was necessary to expend a long period of time, at least 18 months to obtain the new seedlings. By RAPD analysis of plants obtained by tissue culture were observed different patterns in some samples, those could be related to somaclonal variation.
Ananas comosus; PCR; polymorphism; genetic variability
