Why do large scale pineapple producers plant suckers and not crowns?

Also, if a "new" pineapple farmer wanted to start growing pineapples, where would he get suckers to plant for his first crop?





I assume from another pineapple farmer, but are there producers who specialize in selling suckers?

Why do large scale pineapple producers plant suckers and not crowns?
Pineapple is in the group of plant called determinate infloresence, where at the terminal bud or shoot at the end of its life cycle, the vegetative bud will transformed into reproductive bud.





The reproductive buds will eventually develop into fruits. In the case of pineapple at the end of the reproductive bud, the vegetative bud developed again and this is what the crown is.





Therefore, one plant will produce only one crown.





However, at the same time when the fruits is developing, a suckers will develop/grow at the base of the pineapple plant. The number of suckers develop would depend on the soil fertility, availability of moisture, health of the parent plants, etc. It could be more than 10 suckers per mother plant, as compared to only one crown per plant. Further more, suckers will continuously be produced by the parent plants as long as they are being harvested/removed from the parent plants





So to answer your question, suckers are preferred by farmers as compared to crown 'cos a lot more suckers are available as plant materials. At the same time, the suckers grow faster and matured much earlier compared to crown.





I may be able to tell you the nearest place where u can look for the suckers if u could tell me where about u stay. Otherwise just look for pineapple plantations around where u stay.





I hope your questions are answered