Papaya is a fast-growing, short-lived, semi-woody, herbaceous tree and a very important
commercial plant that produces fruits grown extensively in developing countries for
consumption. However, it is becoming an important international fruit, both as fresh fruit
and for processed products. Papaya is the third most cultivated fruit in the world, next to mango and pineapple,
respectively, occupying 15.36% of total tropical fruit production worldwide. Despite its
sweetness, the fruit is low in calories, potassium, and vitamin A. Red Lady, Maradol, and
various Solo varieties are India’s most common papaya varieties.
The optimum soil moisture is maintained through the crop’s judicious irrigation to ensure the crop’s best growth, production, and quality. The interval between irrigations is determined by the season, the growth of the crop, and the type of soil. A tree root should not be allowed to stagnate in still water, as this will cause the roots and stems of the tree to rot. Therefore, the use of a drip irrigation system is beneficial, and the amount of water given to each plant daily should also be carefully calculated.
As an early and productive papaya, its makes an excellent crop. It is a dwarf selfpollinating variety of Papaya that is particularly resistant to the Papaya ring spot virus.
After reaching a height of 4 feet in its second year, the dwarf tree will begin to flower and
produce fruit during its second year. Growing it in high light with an extended growing
season can make it fruit the first year if it is grown in high light. If you take good care of your plants, you can see fruits as early as four months after planting and fruit as late as 11 months. Papaya plants yield varying amounts of fruit depending on where they are grown, the time of year, and how well they are cared for. For optimal development and yield, papaya trees should be sited in a sunny location. Pick a spot far from any other trees, buildings, or structures, as well as any overhead electricity lines. Find the sunniest spot that won’t be flooded (or soggy) during a regular summer storm.
To thrive, papaya trees need considerable amounts of manure and fertilizers. Manures are essential, but fertilizers are also necessary. Soil test results and recommendations for a
certain agroecological zone should inform how much and what nutrients are applied to
the soil. A 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm trench is ideal for planting papaya seedlings. In the
summer, the holes are dug approximately two weeks before planting.
The pits are amended with 20 kilograms of farmyard manure, 1 kilogram each of neem
cake and bone meal, and then covered with topsoil. The highest fruit output can be
achieved with an N application of 200 g. N/pit; however, papain production improves with
N applications of up to 300 g/pit. Plant only weed-free seedlings. When planting,
physically remove weeds from the planting pits and surrounding areas.
Add organic mulch around the holes. Intercropping shallow-rooted crops following
deeply-rooted ones, or vice versa, is an effective method of weed control between rows.
Once the blooming stage has begun, no further intercropping will occur. When you want
to prevent the development of weeds and keep the soil wet for an extended time, use
straw or plastic mulch.
The papaya plant is propagated from seeds. Various sources are available for seeds,
especially 8-9 months before the monsoon season begins. When collected from fruit
pods, it is important to select papaya seeds carefully. The fruit must be large, and the
mother plant should be pests and disease free to produce large fruit. In addition, it is also
important for the fruit and plant to be healthy.
It is common for a pod to contain a male and a female plant.It is more likely that you will
get lesser male plants if you select seeds from the head area of the tree where the fruit is
attached. When choosing, it is important to discard all the light and dark black seeds.
Ensure that the fruit is ripe before you collect the seeds, and let them dry for three days in
the shade after they are collected.
Sarcotesta (the gel layer around the seed) can wrinkle over time. You should pick all seeds
that look the same size and weigh the same after 72 hours. It is just a rough estimate. By
doing this, you will be able to avoid all the seeds that have shrunk to a smaller size than
most. As a final step, the seeds are ready for planting, and for germination, you can use a
germination tray with coco peat to facilitate germination.Papayas thrive in warm, sunny locations, away from other plants, structures, and overhead electricity lines. Planting two or three papaya trees at a distance of 7 to 12 feet
(2.1 to 3.7 meters) from one another increases the odds that at least one of them will bear
fruit and makes it easier to tend to the trees’ nutritional needs and watering
requirements
Papaya is planted during spring (February-March), monsoon (June-July) and autumn (October-November). 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.Papain has several industrial uses, the important one being in brewing industries. It is used as “meat tenderiser” and in textile and leather “sanforization” processes and drugs.
The method of extraction of papain from papaya fruits is simple. The latex should be tapped from immature papaya fruits. Select 75 to 90 days old fruits. On the selected fruit, give incisions (cut) with a razor blade or stainless steel knife. The cuts should be given from stalk to tip of the fruit. The depth of the cut should not be more than 0.3 cm. Four such cuts are given spaced equally on the fruit surface. Tap the latex early in the morning and complete the tapping before 10.00 a.m. Repeat the tapping four times on the same fruit at an interval of three days. The cut should be given on the fruit surface in places not covered by previous cuts. The latex collected from all the trees in a day should be pooled, shade dried in an aluminium pan or tray and passed through a 50 mesh sieve to remove all foreign matter. In large plantations, vacuum driers can be adopted with advantage. Papain produced by artificial heating will have better colour and high quality. Add potassium meta-bi-sulphite (KMS) at 0.5 % for better colour and keeping quality.
The latex should be dried very rapidly at temperatures of 50° to 55° C. Stop drying when the dried product comes off as flakes having a porous texture. Powder the dried papain by means of wooden mallets or in electrically operated granulators and sieve the powder through 10 mesh sieve. Pack the powder in polythene bags in convenient quantities and seal them. Put the sealed bags in a tin container and seal it after evacuating air. Exposure to air deteriorates the quality of papain and vacuum sealing is therefore necessary. For large scale manufacture of papain, vacuum sealing machine and a granulator will be useful.
Organic farming is increasingly popular, with a rapidly growing global demand for
organic products. Organic farming offers considerable benets over conventional farming
systems particularly for sustainable yield, better quality, and health hazard free produce.
Fruits are more vulnerable to contamination with chemicals due to the latter’s residual
toxicity. Therefore, organic production of fruits is gaining popularity over that of other
crop groups. Papaya tree bears fruits round the year and it responds well to organic
systems. In almost all the states, the area under Papaya is increasing, and the organic
production system in this crop is economically important.
Papaya crops can grow in a variety of soils. Though, a rich, sandy loam is ideal for Papaya
plantation. Also, it can grow well in alluvial soil which is found along the deltas and river
banks. A fertile, lime-free, and well-drained soil is preferred for organic Papaya cultivation,A neutral to near neutral soil can be used for organic Papaya cultivation. The pH level can
be between 5.5 and 7.5. High loamy soil and clay loamy soil, suitable for drainage, is most
suitable for this cultivation. Papaya tree does not like cold and wet soil. To avoid root rot
make sure that the soil has a good drainage system.
he sandy loam soil with adequate organic matter is important for organic Papaya
cultivation. The growing eld kept at soil moisture which is necessary for the Papaya
plant growth, although dry climate at the time of ripening is good for the fruit quality.
Continuous cropping in the same eld can result in poor growth and cause the disease
problem for Papaya trees. Papaya crop does not like the strong, cool, hot, dry, or salty
wind. It is better to produce in sheltered but full sunshine place. Staking and windbreak
can decrease the damage to Papaya plants under strong wind.
The organic manure applied as a basal dose must be properly spread and incorporated
into the soil during the preparation of the land for sowing. The planting distance of
Papaya plants is about 2.5 x 1.6 m to 3 x 2 m. In the high-density plating method, the
distance is 1.2 x 1.2 m. Pits of dimensions 60 x 60 x 60 cm are dug and then lled with
topsoil mixed with 20 kg of farmyard manure, 1 kg of neem cake, and 1 kg of bone meal.Proper irrigation is done after planting
Propagation is Papaya is through seeds or seedlings. The germination of Papaya seeds
takes 3 to 5 weeks. The seeds of Papaya can be directly sown on the land or initially grown
in a nursery. The transplantation of saplings into the main area is a limited practice and a
seedbed of 3 m length, 1 m width, and 10 cm high is required for nursery planting. The
bed is covered with a dry polythene sheet for protection. These saplings are transplanted
into the main area after 2 months. Also, propagation can happen through tissue culture.
Air layering is also used to cultivate Papaya plants.
The best season for Papaya planting is monsoon (June-July). Also, you can do planting
Papaya in spring (February-March) and autumn (October-November)Papaya crop is commercially propagated by seed and tissue culture plants. The seed rate
of Papaya is about 250-300 g. /hectare. The seedlings can be raised in nursery beds about
3metres long, 1metre wide, and 10 cm high. The light irrigation system is provided during
the morning times. Then, the nursery beds are covered with polythene sheets to protect
the seedlings. About 15 to 20 cm tall seedlings are selected for planting in 2 months.Spacing between Papaya Plants
A spacing of about 1.8 x 1.8 m. is normally recommended for Papaya.
Papaya is mainly propagated by seeds sown in sand beds or the seeds can be sown
directly in polythene bags. The soil mixture used is about 50% sand for good drainage,
25% organic manure, and 25% topsoil. The seedlings are ready for transplanting after 2 to
3 months old. The planting distance is about 2.5m x 3m square and the planting holes are
about 30cm x 30cm x 30cm. After the holes are dug, some organic matter with
phosphate fertilizer and limestone is added to the soil before the seedlings are located in
the holes.
Papaya trees are fast-growing, woody, tree-like plants that produce best in temperature
levels between 21 to 32°C. The trees prefer full sun and well-drained porous soils that are
moist in hot weather and dry in cold weather. Even brief exposure to freezing
temperature levels can damage these plants, and prolonged exposure to cold without
frost protection by overhead sprinklers will kill the Papaya plants.
Seed Planting Process;
The papaya tree is a fairly fast-growing tree and can bear fruits within 12 months.
After choosing a suitable land, seed planting is performed. This is done after the end of
the rainy or snowy months.
First, you have to prepare the soil in a pot with 10 to 12 cm height.Then, use a mixture of dry organic compost, hay, and soil to feel the pot.
Plant seed according to planting method of the square, rectangular, or spraying rows.
Keep a minimum distance of about 12-15 centimeters away from each row,
And 10-15 centimeters of the distance between 2 trees in a row.
Water moderately, using the hand,Soil pH level needs to be optimum i.e between 5.5 to 6.5, but in case the general soil pH
of your area is above this mark it should be less than 7.5. Papaya can tolerate pH level
up to 7.5 and in some cases up to 8. But do not sow seed if it is more than this range.
Sow the Papaya seeds in-ground or grow bags whichever way you feel comfortable.
Papaya seeds need to be sowed 1.25 inches deep and if the seeds are sown in the
ground they need to be spaced at least 5 inches apart to allow proper growing space
for each seedling.
Once the seedlings are 1 to 1.5 feet high they should be transplanted.
Select a location that receives full sunshine, they love full sunshine.
Nutrient management mainly organic manures and biofertilizers based on the soil test
results. If the dosage of nitrogenous fertilizers is too high the crop becomes too succulent
and thus susceptible to insects and diseases. If the dosage is too low, the crop
development is retarded. So, the farmers apply adequate for the best results
