Production technology of papaya

Submitted By
Sushree Sankhiptta Jena
Regd.No.- 1961912006
Dept. Of Horticulture
 Production technology of papaya

Botanical Name:- Carica papaya

Family :- Caricaceae
Introduction :-
Papaya is a tropical fruit having commercial importance because of its
high nutritive and medicinal value. Papaya cultivation had its origin in
South Mexico and Costa Rica. Total annual world production is estimated
at 6 million tonnes of fruits. India leads the world in papaya production
with an annual output of about 3 million tonnes. Other leading producers
are Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Indonesia, China, Peru, Thailand and
Philippines.
Botany:-
•Polygamous
•3 types of fl owers:-
1. Staminate (male)
2. Pistilate ( female)
3. Hermaphrodite ( Bisexual)
Inflorescence & Flowers:-
 Male Trees:- Flowers are in clusters on long branches 60 – 90 cm.

Individual male flower in tubular with 10 stamens attached to the

corolla in two series.
 Female Trees:- Female flowers are short 4-6cm. Peduncles petals are separate.
 Hermaphrodite Trees:-

There are numerous deviations flower is on short peduncle

elongated pistil.
Petals are fused upto 2/3 of their length .
Ten stamens in 2 series of five.
Environmental Influence Of Flowers Mainly Temp. Is Responsible:-
 Stamen carpellopy is expressed under cool temp. ( in this case instead of 10 stamens
there are only 5).
Reason – low temp. Below 13 degree C.
 Excessive N & moisture .
 Female sterility ( Cause – excessive high temp., N deficiency & moisture stress.)
 Hermaphrodite trees
 > 32 degree C High temp – behave like male

Low temp. – behave like female

very low temp. – carpellodic fruit
Types Of Papaya Flowers:-

Types Tree Flower Description

Staminate M M Typical unisexual flower on long peduncles.
Teratological Staminate M M Found on sex reversing male tree with some degree of
carpel initiation & development. A number of hair like
processes vestigial carpellate base.
Reduced MF M Modified normal elongata flower differs from staminate
flowers in having a thicker& stiffer corolla tube,
abortion of pistils & reduced ovary size & no of carpels.
Elongata( normal type) MF MF Elongata refers to the shape of the pistil terminating in
fine stigmata lobes; develops into pyriform/ cylindrical
fruit five laterally fused carpels.
Carpelloid Elongata MF F Transformation of the inner series of stamens into
carpel like str.
Pentandria MF F Normal hermaphrodite type modified unisexual
pistillate flower through stepwise stamen
transformation to carpels with loss of the original
carpels.
Carpelloid pentandria MF F The stamens of the outer whorl become carpelliod
carpellodic forms in various stage especially under cool
condition

Pistillate F F Unisexual flowers larger than MF flower ,lack

stamens .form stable & unchanged by
environment.
Growth & Development:-
 Seed germination – 2 weeks
 Flowering starts after a fixed no. Of leaves have appeared.
 This varies from variety from 24 to 49.
Pollination & Fruit Set:-
 Pollination problem occurs when dioecious varieties are planted with
inadequate no. of male plants.
 Ratio of male to female should be 1: 10.
 On Hermaphrodite trees it is common for the terminal flowers to set while the
lateral flowers abcise.
 Under favourable condition one /two lateral flowers also set.
Fruit:-
 Fruits of females trees are spherical.
 Fruits of hermaphrodite trees show diverse shapes normally elongated.
 Fruit size varies from 255 gms to 7kg flesh thickness varies from 1.5 to 4cms.
 Fruit cavity may be star shaped /round good variety small fruit cavity.
Seedlessness:-
Seen on female plants when fruit is set in absence of pollens but seedless fruits are
small in size.
Fruit Growth:-
Total period varies from 150-160 days
Fruit growth shows two major phases.
1st is 60-80 days after anthesis.
2nd 100-120 days.
Area & Production:-
The area under papaya cultivation in India increased by 63% from 45.2 thousand
ha. in 1991-92 to 73.7 thousand ha. in 2001-02 and the production increased
from 8 lakh tones to 26 lakh tones. Papaya is mostly cultivated in the states of
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
State-wise Area, Production & Productivity of
papaya during 2001-02
State Area Production Productivity
(‘000 Ha.) (‘000 MT) (MT/Ha.)
Andhra Pradesh 11.7 1173.6 100.0

West Bengal 7.2 241.9 33.5

Karnataka 3.6 238.1 65.5

Orissa 10.7 217.5 20.3

Gujarat 4.4 175.1 39.4

Maharashtra 5.8 174.4 30.0

Assam 7.5 111.8 14.8

Kerala 13.2 59.7 4.5

Madhya Pradesh 0.8 39.2 49.0

Others 8.6 159.1 -

TOTAL 73.7 2590.4 35.1

Source : Database of National Horticulture

Board, Ministry of Agriculture ,Govt. of India.
Economic Importance :-
Fruit is a rich source of vitamin A and C. It has a high nutritive and medicinal
value. Papain prepared from dried latex of its immature fruits is used in meat
tenderizing, manufacture of chewing gum, cosmetics, for degumming natural
silk and to give shrink resistance to wool. It is also used in pharmaceutical
industries, textile and garment cleaning paper and adhesive manufacture,
sewage disposal etc. 
MARKET ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY:-
Demand and Supply patterns :-
Only 0.08% of domestic production is exported and the rest is consumed within
the country.  Delhi and Mumbai are the two principal markets.  Other major
domestic markets are Jaipur, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. 
Arrivals are sizeable in the markets of Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna,
Raipur, Baraut and Jammu.  The crop arrives in the market around the year in
the major States viz. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala,
Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal.  
Export trends:-
India exports Papaya mainly to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E.,
Netherlands etc.   The trend in export of papaya from India during the period
1999-2000 to 2001-02.
Country Quantity Value
(Tonnes) (Rs.  in lakhs)
Bahrain 125.17 19.23

Kuwait 148.98 22.37 (Country-wise

Netherlands 90.00 10.42
export
of  papaya from
Qatar 142.66 22.39 India during
Saudi Arabia 737.32 107.04
2001-02.)

U.A.E. 499.84 59.75

Source : APEDA,
New Delhi
Others 231.90 45.69

Total 1975.87 286.89

 Analysis and Future Strategy

 The fruit being perishable in nature poses problem in marketing.  Development

of infrastructure facilities for transport to primary markets, standardization of
packaging techniques are aspects which need special attention.  Processing
facilities also need to be created in the major producing states for value
addition.
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY:-
 Agro-climatic requirements:-
Papaya being a tropical fruit grows well in the mild sub-tropical regions of the
country upto 1,000 m. above sea level. Night temperature below 120-140 C for
several hours during winter season affects its growth and production severely. It
is very much sensitive to frost, strong winds and water stagnation.
  Deep, well drained sandy loam soil is ideal for cultivation of papaya.
Growing and Potential Belts:-
The state-wise growing belts are given in the following :
 State Growing belts

Andhra Pradesh Cuddapah, Medak, Kurnool, Rangareddy

Assam Nagaon, Darrang, Karbi Anglong

Gujarat Kheda, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar

Jharkhand Simdega, Ranchi, Lohardaga, Hazaribagh, Chatra

Karnataka Bellary, Bidar, Bangalore (R& U), Mandya,

Shimoga, Chitradurga, Mysore, Belgaum, Hassan
Maharashtra Sangli, Satara, Pune, Nasik, Sholapur, Nagpur,
Amravati
Madhya Pradesh Dhar, Khandwa, Bilaspur, Ratlam, Guna

West Bengal North & South 24- Parganas, Hooghly, Nadia,

Midnapur

•Varieties
Cultivated:-
Important papaya varieties cultivated in different states of India are given below :
 State Varieties grown
Andhra Pradesh Honey Dew, Coorg Honey Dew, Washington,
Solo, Co-1,Co-2, Co-3, Sunrise Solo, Taiwan
Jharkhand Ranchi selection, Honey Dew, Pusa Delicious
& Pusa Nanha
Karnataka & Kerala Coorg Honey Dew, Coorg Green, Pusa
Delicious & Pusa Nanha
West Bengal Ranchi selection, Honey Dew, Washington,
Coorg Green
Orissa Pusa Delicious, Pusa Nanha,  Ranchi
selection, Honey Dew, Washington, Coorg
Green

•Land Preparation:-

A well-drained upland is selected for cultivation. In open and high lying areas plants
are exposed to strong winds or storm. Therefore, for proper establishment of papaya
plantation, suitable wind break should be planted at the orchard boundary.
  Planting:-

 Planting Material:-
Papaya is commercially propagated by seed and tissue culture plants. The seed rate is
250-300 g./ha. The seedlings can be raised in nursery beds 3m. long, 1m. wide and 10
cm. high as well as in pots or polythene bags. The seeds after being treated with 0.1%
Monosan (phenyl mercuric acetate), ceresan etc. are sown 1 cm. deep in rows 10 cm.
apart and covered with fine compost or leaf mould. Light irrigation is provided
during the morning hours. The nursery beds are covered with polythene sheets or
dry paddy straw to protect the seedlings. About 15-20 cm. tall seedlings are chosen
for planting in about two months. 
 Planting season:-

Papaya is planted during spring (February-March), monsoon (June-July) and autumn

(October-November).
  Spacing:-

A spacing of 1.8 x 1.8 m. is normally followed.  However higher density cultivation with

spacing of 1.5 x 1.5 m./ha enhances the returns to the farmer and is recommended.
High Density Planting : A closer spacing of 1.2 x 1.2 m. for cv. Pusha Nanha is adopted
for high density planting, accommodating 6,400 plants/ha.

 
  Planting Method:-

The seedlings are planted in pits of 60x60x60 cm. size. In the summer months the pits
are dug about a fortnight before planting. The pits are filled with top soil along with 20
kg. of farmyard manure., 1 kg. neem cake and 1 kg. bone meal. Tall and vigorous
varieties are planted at greater spacing while medium and dwarf ones at closer
spacing.
  Nutrition:-

Papaya plant needs heavy doses of manures and fertilizers. Apart from the basal dose of
manures (@ 10 kg./plant) applied in the pits, 200-250 g. each of N, P 2O5 and K2O are
recommended for getting high yield. Application of 200 g. N is optimum for fruit yield
but papain yield increases with increase in N upto 300 g.
 Micronutrients:-

Micro-nutrients viz. ZnSO4 (0.5%) and H2 BO3 (0.1%) are sprayed in order to increase

growth and yield characters.
   Irrigation

The irrigation schedule is fixed on the basis of soil type and weather conditions of the
region. Protective irrigation is provided in the first year of planting. During the second
year, irrigation is provided at fortnightly interval in winter and at an interval of 10 days
in summer. Basin system of irrigation is mostly followed. In areas having low rainfall,
sprinkler or drip system can be adopted.
  Intercultural Operations:-

Deep hoeing is recommended during the first year to check weed growth. Weeding
should be done on regular basis especially around the plants. Application of
Fluchloralin or Alachlorin or Butachlorine (2.0 g./ha.) as pre-emergence herbicide two
months after transplanting can effectively control the weeds for a period of four
months. Earthing up is done before or after the onset of monsoon to avoid water-
logging and also to help the plants to stand erect.
    Inter-cropping:-

Intercropping leguminous crops after non-leguminous ones, shallow rooted crops after
deep rooted ones are beneficial. No intercrops are taken after the onset of flowering
stage.
  Removal of male plants:-

About 10% of the male plants are kept in the orchards for good pollination where
dioecious varieties are cultivated. As soon as the plants flower, the extra male plants
are uprooted.
 Plant Protection Measures :-

Insect Pests:-
The insect pests mostly observed are fruit flies (Bactrocera cucurbitae), ak grasshopper
(Poekilocerus pictus), aphids (Aphis gossypii), red spider mite (Tetranychus
cinnabarinus), stem borer (Dasyses rugosellus) and grey weevil (Myllocerus viridans).
In all cases the infected parts need to be destroyed along with application of
prophylactic sprays of Dimethoate (0.3%) or methyl demeton (0.05%). 
 Diseases:-

The main diseases reported are powdery mildew (Oidium caricae), anthracnose
(Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), damping off and stem rot. Application of wettable sulphur
(1 g./l.) carbendazim/thiophanate methyl (1 g./l.) and Kavach/Mancozeb (2 g./l.) has been
found to be effective in controlling the diseases.
  Harvesting  and Yield:-

Fruits are harvested when they are of full size, light green in colour with tinge of yellow at
apical end. On ripening, fruits of certain varieties turn yellow while some of them remain
green. When the latex ceases to be milky and become watery, the fruits are suitable for
harvesting.
The economic life of papaya plant is only 3 to 4 years.  The yield varies widely according
to variety, soil, climate and management of the orchard. The yield of 75-100 tonnes /ha. is
obtained in a season from a papaya orchard depending on spacing and cultural practices.
 POST HARVEST MANAGEMENT:-
    Grading:-

Fruits are graded on the basis of their weight, size and colour.
 Storage :-

Fruits are highly perishable in nature. They can be stored for a period of 1-3 weeks at a
temperature of 10-130 C and 85-90% relative humidity.
 

 
  Packing:-

Bamboo baskets with banana leaves as lining material are used for carrying the
produce from farm to local market.
  Transportation

Road transport by trucks/lorries is the most convenient mode of transport due to easy
approach from orchards to the market.
      Marketing

The farmers usually dispose off their produce to the wholesalers and middlemen at the
farm gate.
 Diseases:-

Powdery Mildew (Odium indicum, Odium caricae) : The development of powdery

mildew in papaya is promoted by high humidity (80-85%) and a temperature range
of 24-26°C. The disease appears as on the foliage and pods. Infection is first
apparent on the leaves as small slightly darkened areas, which later become white
powdery spots. These spots enlarge and cover the entire leaf area. Severely infected
leaves may become chlorotic and distorted before falling. Affected fruits are small
in size and malformed.
Control : As soon as the disease symptoms are observed dusting Sulphur (30 g/10
litres of water) or spraying Calixin 75 EC (5 ml/10 litres of water) at 15 days interval
helps to control the disease.
 
Leaf- Blight (Corynespora cassiicola) :
The disease causes severe damage to leaves. The disease first appears as small, discoloured
lesions, which are irregularly scattered on the leaves. These spots become irregular in
shape, then increase in size, and appear brown to grey in colour. A light yellow zone
surrounds the spots. Several lesions coalesce to cover large areas of the leaf and in
severe infections the whole leaf dies. A considerable reduction in the yield is observed.
Control: Disease can be controlled by spraying of Dithane M-45 (0.2%) starting form the
appearance of the disease symptoms.
Damping-Off (Rhizoctonia solani) :
This is a disease of young seedlings. Lesions are seen on the stem at or just above soil level.
The stem becomes watery and shrinks, followed by death of the plant. Control: Well-
drained soil should be used for planting and the crop should not be excessively
irrigated. Before sowing the seeds should be treated with fungal culture of Trichoderma
viride (3-4 g/kg of seed) or Captan (3 g/kg of seed) to protect the newly emerging
seedlings.
Foot Rot of Papaya (Pythium aphanidermatum) :
It is a severe disease of papaya. It is characterized by the appearance of water-soaked
patches on the stem near the ground level. These patches enlarge rapidly and girdle the
stem, causing rotting of the tissues, which then turn dark brown or black. Such affected
plants withstand strong wind and topple over and die. If the disease attack is mild, only
one side of the stem rots and the plants remain stunted. Fruit if formed are shriveled
and malformed. Gradually the plant dies.
Control :
Application of Trichoderma viride (15 g/plant) mixed in well-decomposed FYM
should be applied around the root zone of the plants at the time of planting.
The crop should be irrigated by adopting the ring method of irrigation so that
the water does not come in direct contact with the stem. In the case of new
plantings, preventing water logging of the soil may control the disease. The soil
should be drenched with 2-3 litres of Copper Oxychloride (3 g per litre of
water). The application should be carried out regularly at 15 days interval from
the time of planting. During fruit formation, the plant should be sprayed with
the same solution at the same time interval. Alternately, Mancozeb (2.5 g/ litre
of water) may also be applied. In the case of disease attack in existing crops, the
rotted portion of the plant should be scraped and Copper Oxychloride or
Bordeaux paste should be applied. The paste can be prepared by dissolving one
kg of Copper Sulphate and lime separately in ten litres of water each. The two
solutions should be mixed and shaken to form a paste. The base of the plant
should be drenched with three litres of Copper Oxychloride (3g/litre). The
plant should be drenched during fruit formation with Copper Oxychloride or
Mancozeb at the earlier mentioned concentrations twice at 15 days interval.
Anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) :
The disease prominently appears on green immature fruits. The disease symptoms
are in the form of brown to black depressed spots on the fruits. The initial
symptoms are water-soaked, sunken spots on the fruit. The centers of these
spots later turn black and then pink when the fungus produces spores. The
flesh beneath the spots becomes soft and watery, which spreads to the entire
fruit. Small, irregular-shaped water-soaked spots on leaves may also be seen.
These spots eventually turn brown. On the fruits, the symptoms appear only
upon ripening and may not be apparent at the time of harvest. Brown sunken
spots develop on the fruit surface, which later on enlarge to form water soaked
lesions. The flesh beneath the affected portion becomes soft and begins to rot.
Control : The affected fruits should be remove and destroyed. The fruits should
be harvested as soon as they mature. Spaying with Copper Oxychloride (3
g/litre of water) or Carbendazim (1 g/litre of water) or Thiophanate Methyl (1
g/litre of water) at 15 days interval effectively controls the disease. Fruits for
exports should be subjected to hot water treatment or a fungicidal wax
treatment.
Papaya Mosaic :
The disease attacks the papaya plants of all age groups, but is most serious on young plants. The
aphids are responsible for transmitting the disease. The disease symptoms appear on the top
young leaves of the plants. The leaves are reduced in size and show blister like patches of
dark-green tissue, alternating with yellowish-green lamina. The leaf petiole is reduced in
length and the top leaves assume an upright position. The infected plants show a marked
reduction in growth. The fruits borne on disease plants develop water soaked lesions with a
central solid spot. Such fruits are elongated and reduced in size.
Control : Good field sanitation such as removal and destruction of affected plant reduce the
spread of the disease. Also, losses can be minimised controlling the population of aphid.
Application of Carbofuran (1 kg a.i./ha) at the time of sowing seeds followed by 2-3 foliar
sprays of Phosphamidon (0.05%) at an interval of 10 days starting from 15-20 days after
sowing effectively checks the population of aphids.
Leaf Curl of Papaya :
The disease is transmitted by the vector white fly (Bemisia tabaci). Severe curling, crinkling and
deformation of the leaves characterize the disease. Mostly the young leaves are affected. Apart
from curling the leaves also exhibit vein clearing and thickening of the veins. Sometimes the
petioles are twisted. In severe cases complete defoliation of the affected plant is observed. The
affected plants show a stunted growth with reduce fruit yield.
Control : Removal and destruction of the affected plants is the only control measure to reduce
the spread of the disease. Checking the population of white flies also can reduce the infection
severity. Soil application of Carbofuran (1 kg a.i./ha) at the time of sowing and 4-5 foliar
sprays of Dimethoate (0.05%) or Metasystox (0.02%) or Nuvacron (0.05% ) at an interval of 10
days effectively controls the whitefly population.
Papaya Ring Spot Virus :
The virus is spread from plant to plant by aphids. The earliest symptoms on
papaya are a yellowing and vein-clearing of the young leaves. This is followed by
a very conspicuous yellow mottling of the leaves and sometimes severe
blistering and leaf distortion. Dark-green streaks and rings also appear in the
leafstalks and stems. The disease derives its name from the striking symptoms
that develop on fruit. These consist of concentric rings and spots or C-shaped
markings, a darker green than the background-green fruit colour. Symptoms
persist on the ripe fruit as darker orange-brown rings. Vigour of trees and fruit
set is usually reduced depending on the age of the plant when infected. Fruit
quality, particularly flavour, is also adversely affected.
Control : Early detection of infected plants and prompt removal can check the
spread of the disease. Aphids can be controlled by application of Carbofuran (1
kg a.i./ha) in the nursery bed at the time of sowing seeds followed by 2-3 foliar
sprays of Phosphamidon (0.05%) at an interval of 10 days starting from 15-20
days after sowing.
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