pineapple pest

[kalianna]

I've grown pineapple for many years and have never seen anything attack them but I noticed some of my half-grown fruits seemed to be turning brown.  Then I noticed the lack of green crowns on those same plants.  Does anyone know what this is or what to do about it?  I doused them in neem oil as a temporary solution.  I don't think they'll recover however.

[terracore]

If there isn't an instance of nutrient deficiency, pest damage, or over/under watering my first guess is persistent herbicide damage. Did you happen to use any mulch? Straw? Hay? Compost? Manure? These are all vectors of persistent herbicides like Milestone / Grazon.

Pineapples aren't good at absorbing nutrients from the soil and are usually foliar fertilized. You didn't mention how they were getting fed but that is something to consider.