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Pineapple has moderate salt tolerance compared with most fruit crops but shows clear damage on BRIS, coastal alluvial, and reclaimed blocks where salt accumulates in the root zone. Symptoms overlap with drought and with calcium deficiency, so soil and water testing is important to confirm. Regional priority: High on BRIS soils in Peninsular Malaysia, coastal blocks in Thailand and the Philippines, and any block irrigated with brackish water.

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When pineapple is most vulnerable

At all phases, but establishment (0 to 3 months) and forcing to fruit development (12 to 18 months) are the most damaging windows. Fruit quality (sugar, size) drops sharply above about 3 dS/m soil EC.

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How salinity shows in satellite data

  • Patchy NDVI matching known saline zones (near the coast, low ground, seepage lines).
  • Persistent low NDVI in the same zones cycle after cycle.
  • Distinguish from drought by NDWI: saline zones can be wet with high NDWI and still show poor NDVI, while drought shows both indices low together.
  • Distinguish from waterlogging by pattern: salinity is stable and repeatable; waterlogging is event-driven.

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Field symptoms

  • Red-brown tip burn on older leaves, progressing inward from the tip
  • Stunted plants with short, narrow D-leaves
  • Wilting despite adequate soil moisture
  • Reduced fruit size and weight, sometimes with poor shoulder fill
  • White salt crust on the plastic mulch or bare soil in dry weather
  • Poor slip and sucker establishment in the saline zone

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Reduce the damage by

  • Test soil and irrigation water EC on new blocks and every 2 years on established blocks. Target soil EC below 2 dS/m in the root zone.
  • Improve drainage - salt moves with water, so functioning drains flush salt down and away from the root zone.
  • Apply gypsum on sodic soils (high Na, low Ca) - typically 2 to 5 t/ha.
  • Leach with freshwater in the dry season if irrigation water is available.
  • Avoid brackish irrigation water - if unavoidable, dilute and monitor.
  • Use mulch to reduce evaporation and salt accumulation at the surface.
  • Plant tolerant varieties where salinity is chronic (Sarawak / Moris tolerate more than MD2).

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Set an alert for early warning

Turn the diagnosis into a trigger. Salinity is stable, so the useful alert is a seasonal comparison against the block’s own history and against soil EC records.
Recommended settings for salinity on pineapple:
  • Anomaly alert - trigger on persistent (> 60 days) NDVI anomaly in a specific zone.
  • Soil EC sampling reminder - schedule an annual EC test on BRIS and coastal blocks in the dry season.
  • Weather alert - trigger a leaching schedule after 30 or more consecutive dry days on saline blocks.