ABSTRACT
The fungus is important in the breakdown of pineapple residues after cropping and survives as chlamydospores in soil and decaying pineapple residues. The fungus commonly infects plants through fresh wounds occurring where the planting material has been detached from the parent plant and destroys the soft tissue at the base of the stem. Pineapple, Ananas comosus, is a herbaceous biennial or perennial plant, and it belongs to family Bromeliaceae, grown for its edible fruit. The pineapple plant has a short, stout stem and a rosette of sword-shaped leaves with needle-like tips. The growing point of the stem becomes yellowish-brown, with a dark line between healthy and diseased areas. The symptoms above ground are similar to those caused by nematodes, mealybug wilt, and low levels of soil oxygen. Leaves change in color from a healthy green through various shades of red and yellow. Penicillium funiculosum infects the developing fruit at some stage between initiation and an open flower.
