Organic Pineapple Working Group

[Organic Pineapple Working Group <opwg AT lists.ibiblio.org>]

Please sign your posts.

> In the Caribbean (trinidad) traditional alternatives to ethrel
> have long been used.

> Carbide. I dont know what industry it is a by product of?

Calcium Carbide: Its main use industrially is in the production of
acetylene.

> however, this "chemical" is used as a stone form in lamps and
> reactsw with water to produse ethylene or aceytlene gas.

It does not produce ethylene.  It produces acetylene, which has a
similar effect on plants.

Wikipedia states:

  Calcium carbide is produced industrially in an electric arc furnace
  loaded with a mixture of lime and coke at approximately 2000 °C.
  This method has not changed since its invention in 1888:

  CaO + 3C ? CaC2 + CO

  The high temperature required for this reaction is not practically
  achievable by traditional combustion, so the reaction is performed
  in an electric arc furnace with graphite electrodes. The carbide
  product produced generally contains around 80% calcium carbide by
  weight.

  This reaction was an important part of the industrial revolution in
  chemistry. In the USA this occurred as a product of massive amounts
  of cheap hydro-electric power liberated from Niagara Falls before
  the turn of the 20th century.

> I believe placing a small chunk of stone wrapped in a brown bag
> in the center of the plant, can do the trick to initiate the
> flowering sequence for pineapple. I have seen other farmers
> sprinke some of the carbide water on the leaves of the pineapple.

Cold water absorbs more acetylene, so ice used to lower the
temperature and it's applied at night.

> I dont know the information as to the toxicity or the health
> status of carbide. But i can imagine that it can be dangerous if 
> ingested....

Or if it explodes!

http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC33688

NOTE! PREVENT DISPERSION OF DUST! STRICT HYGIENE!

Route of Exposure       Symptoms
Inhalation              Cough. Laboured breathing. Shortness of breath. Sore 
throat.

Skin                    Redness. Skin burns. Pain.

Eyes                    Redness. Pain. Blurred vision. Severe deep burns.

Ingestion               Laboured breathing. Shock or collapse (further see 
Inhalation).



Douglas Hinds
OPWG Chair