A highly productive pineapple with a distinctive flavor, with coconut overtones; dominant pineapple fresh-fruit cultivar worldwide. Origin: Pineapple Research Institute of Hawaii, Mililani, HI, by D.D.F. Williams. 58-1184 × 59-443; crossed 1970; selected 1973; tested as 73-114; introd. c. 1980; named MD-2 in 1981; introd. 1996. Tree: vigorous; robust; leaves 100 × 6.5 cm in large plants; spines small, mainly at leaf tips, comparable to Smooth Cayenne; leaves lack anthocyanin pigmentation; inflorescence bract color at emergence (red bud stage) green, unlike Smooth Cayenne; peduncle relatively short, 15 cm; very susceptible to natural floral induction; more productive, but more susceptible to phytophthora rots and bacterial heart rot, than Smooth Cayenne; tolerant of nematodes but somewhat more susceptible to reniform nematode than Smooth Cayenne; susceptible to fruitlet core rot and fusariosis. Fruit: intense orange-yellow color; medium large, to 2.5 kg with crown, depending on plant size at forced floral induction; cylindrical, square-shouldered; fruitlets large, flat, glossy; overly large crown in some environments; flesh clear, sweet, compact, yellow, fibrous but not objectionably so; SS 15-17%; titratable acidity 0.5-1.0%, higher in cool seasons or environments; ascorbic acid 50-90 mg/100 cc juice, four-fold higher than Smooth Cayenne; flavor well developed, with coconut overtones in subtropical environments, less flavorful in the tropics; core more tender, edible, and thinner than Smooth Cayenne; prone to translucence in some environments; exceptionally resistant to internal browning, withstands refrigeration better than CO-2 and other traditional fresh cultivars; forcing to ripening 7 d before Smooth Cayenne; not suitable for canning.
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