Papaya

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Papaya

• Paw paw
• Papaw
• Family Caricaceae
• Genus Carica
• Species papaya

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Papaya Readings(On web page)

• Nishina et al. 2000.
• Papaya Production in Hawaii.
• CTAHR FN-3.
• Manshardt 1999.
• UH Rainbow Papaya. A High-Quality Hybrid with
  Genetically Engineered Disease Resistance.
• CTAHR NPH-1
• Kempler and Kabaluk. 1996.
• Babaco (Carica pentagona Heilb.) A possible crop
  for the greenhouse.
• HortScience 31785-788.

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- Tall - Herbaceous - Short-lived - Large
leaves - Flower in leaf axils - Seed propagated
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- Up to 10 lb. - Seed in cavity - Yellow orange
pink or red flesh - High vitamin A C and
potassium
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Proteolytic enzyme extracted from latex - Meat
tenderizer - Cosmetics - Leather industry -
Medicinal uses
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Carica

• 20 species
• papaya
• Lowland cultivated spp
• Not found outside cultivation
• Perhaps hybrid form
• Only polygamous spp
• Most important commercially

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Other Cultivated Carica

• Highland species
• Common in upland Valleys of Ecuador and Colombia
• Taste different less sweet
• Soups stews sweets fresh
• Genes for breeding (cold/disease resistance)

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Other cultivated Carica

• Hybrid types - Babaco
• Most commercially advanced
• Seedless - parthenocarpic
• Large fruit
• Fresh or stewed
• Vegetatively propagated

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Origin of Papaya
In Pacific Islands by 1800
Taken into Asia tropics in the 1600s
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Origin of Carica papaya

• Tropical America
• Southern Mexico
• West Indies
• Other spp Mexico - Argentina
• Spread via seed
• 1600s in Asian tropics
• By 1800 common in Pacific

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Papaya Production in the World
Three-fold increase since 1965
FAOSTAT database 1965 - 2000
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3 fold increase
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Papaya per Capita Production in the World
FAOSTAT database 1965-2000
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World Production of Papaya
FAOSTAT database 2000-2002
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World Production of Papaya
FAOSTAT database 2000-2002
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World Yields of Papaya
FAOSTAT database 2000-2002
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USA Production

• Most in Hawaii
• Produce 23000 MT
• Most exported to mainland USA Canada and Japan
• Production decrease since 1989 due to Papaya
  ringspot

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Fruiting of the Papaya

• Fruit hang along trunk
• Flower in leaf axils
• Most are dioecious
• Some are hermaphroditic or perfect flowered
• Five classes of flowers

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Type I or Pistillate Flower
or female flower
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Female Papaya Flower
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Type II or Pentandria Flower
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Type III or Intermediate Flower
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Type IV or Hermaphroditic Flower
or bisexual or perfect flower
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Hermaphroditic Papaya Flower
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Type V or Staminate Flower
or male flower
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Male Papaya Flower
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Importance of Sex

• Female
• Fruit is an enlarged ovary
• Male
• Need pollen for pollination
• Flower type influences
• Thickness of flesh
• Fruit shape

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Inheritance of Sex

• One locus three alleles
• M1 male
• M2 hermaphrodite or bisexual
• m female
• Homozygous dominant lethal
• M1M1 M1M2 and M2M2 lethal
• M1m male M2m bisexual
• mm female

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Seedlings segregate for sex

• Need to maximize the number of productive plants
• Hermaphroditic varieties maximize hermaphrodites
• Dioecious type maximize females
• Plant multiple seedlings per space and rogue
  wrong sex

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- 2/3 hermaphroditic and 1/3 female
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Maximize Bearing PlantsHermphroditic variety

• Want hermaphroditic plants
• Rogue out females
• 1 per space 67
• 2 per space 89
• 3 per space 96

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Female or Dioecious Types

• Need one male for every 12-15 females
• 6-8 males
• Fruit is better if good pollination
• Pollination by wind and moths

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- 1/2 female and 1/2 male
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Maximize Bearing PlantsDioecious variety

• Maximize females
• Rogue out males
• 1 per space 50
• 2 per space 75
• 3 per space 87.5
• 4 per space 93.7

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Sex Can Change!

• Too cool wet and high N
• Female
• Stamens become carpel like
• Too hot dry and low N
• Male
• Ovaries fail to develop

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Climatic Restrictions

• Optimal temperature 22 - 26 C
• Sex expression shifts
• Flavor poor if cool
• Die if less than -1C
• Die if greater than 44C
• Long growing season
• Susceptible to wind damage

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Cultural Restrictions

• Need direct sunlight
• Poor flavor if shaded
• Well drained soils
• Sensitive to waterlogging
• Susceptible to Phytophthora
• Sensitive to saline conditions

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Diseases of Papaya

• Papaya ringspot virus
• Most important
• Limiting factor in many areas of world
• Mildew
• Anthracnose
• Root rot Phytophthora (replant sites)
• Nematodes

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Papaya Ringspot Virus

• Vectored by aphids
• Leaf mottling and distortion
• Reduce growth yield
• So severe in Florida that plants are grown as
  annuals

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Papaya Ringspot Virus
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Papaya Ringspot Virus
Control via resistant varieties

• UH Sunup and UH Rainbow
• GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism)

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Insect Pests

• Fruit flies
• Webworms
• White flies
• Thrips
• Mites
• Fruit spotting bugs

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Fruit flies
Lay eggs in fruit Larva feed in fruit Cause
rot Heat treat to kill in fruit
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Papaya VarietiesTwo Major Types

• Hawaiian - Solo types
• Hermaphroditic
• Smaller fruit about 1 lb
• Mexican or fruta bomba
• Dioecious
• Larger fruit up to 10 lbs

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Hawaiian VarietiesHermaphroditic Solo types

• Common in US markets
• Fruit small firm sweet
• Plant smaller 8
• Sex expression more stable
• Series of inbred seed lines developed in Hawaii
• Most widely grown is Sunrise variety

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Mexican Varieties

• Locally available in many tropical regions
• Much larger fruit
• Flavor generally less intense
• Frequently dioecious
• Not as good for shipping

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Establishment

• Propagated by seed
• Clean off gelatinous coat
• Dry and plant immediately
• Warm (80 F) sterile soil
• Germinate in 2 weeks
• In 10 weeks ready to transplant

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Site Selection

• Virgin soil preferred
• Replant sites
• High levels of Phytophthera palmivora
• Virgin soil technique
• Fungicide drench in planting hole
• Fallow of 3-5 years

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Planting

• Spacing
• Single row 8 x 10
• (435 plants per acre)
• Double row 6 x 6 x 12
• (850 plants per acre)
• Multiple seedlings per space to maximize bearing
  plants
• 3 to 5 plants per hole until flowering

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Cropping Cycle

• From planting begin to fruit in 10-12 months
• Begins to flower in 4-8 months
• Fruit develops in 4-6 months
• Possible to grow as annual
• Commercially can fruit for 3-4 years

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Production Practices

• No pruning
• High nitrogen to encourage growth
• May thin fruit to one per cluster to avoid
  crowding

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Harvesting and Yields

• Climacteric fruit
• Harvest yellow green
• Dark green fruit will not ripen
• Potential yield
• 100 tons/ha or 40 tons/acre
• Average yield
• 15-25 tons/ha or 6-10 tons/acre

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World Yields of Papaya
FAOSTAT database 2000-2002
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Post Harvest

• Storage
• 1-3 weeks _at_ 7-10C
• Fruit fly infestation treatment
• Hot water 20 minutes _at_ 120F
• Hot air heat fruit flesh to 117F

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International Markets

• Major exporting countries
• Mexico to USA and Canada
• Brazil to Europe
• India to Middle East
• Many others

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Any Questions about Papaya